Aston Villa’s £60m star has moved to “another level” under Unai Emery at Villa Park.
Aston Villa could struggle to keep hold of midfielder Douglas Luiz at Villa Park, as journalist Dean Jones provides GIVEMESPORT with the star’s ranking inside the Villans squad
Unai Emery has enjoyed a positive start to life as head coach of the West Midlands outfit.
Aston Villa confirmed the signing of Douglas Luiz from Manchester City in a deal worth £15m in the summer of 2019. The South American had found opportunities to break into Pep Guardiola’s City side impossible. He had spent the two seasons prior on loan at Spanish outfit Girona.
However, his move to the Villans has seen his value skyrocket past the £15m they shelved out for him, having become a regular as Villa transformed from relegation candidates to a Europa Conference League outfit. Luiz has nailed down his place in the starting XI under the management of Dean Smith, Steven Gerrard and Emery.
But under the latter, Luiz has gone to another level. He often dominates games as a midfield enforcer and threatens opposition backlines with his impressive passing range and exceptional delivery on the set piece.
The 25-year-old’s displays have led to him receiving call-ups to the Brazilian national team. However, the nine-cap star has missed out on Selecao selection for October’s World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Uruguay. And Villa received a boost last year when Luiz committed his long-term future to the Villans, signing a contract extension that runs until the summer of 2026.
However, the one-time European Cup winners will be wary of interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs in his services. Towards the end of the recent summer transfer window, journalist Ben Jacobs suggested that Luiz, valued at £60m by Villa, was a name discussed internally at Liverpool. Meanwhile, Jones told GIVEMESPORT in August that Arsenal were still interested in the midfielder’s signature, having turned down a move to north London 12 months previous.
