In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, journalist Simon Phillips has tipped Arsenal to win the race for Aston Villa ace Douglas Luiz. Phillips said,
“The situation there if he does become a free agent, Chelsea will probably have a look at it.
“But I think he’ll end up joining Arsenal.”
Luiz’s Mixed Start To This Campaign
Luiz has made a decent start to this campaign but is under an expiring contract at Villa Park. The 24-year-old registered two goals and two yellow cards in seven appearances for the Villans this season in all competitions.
However, the Rio de Janeiro-born talent has only managed to average 0.7 tackles and 0.7 key passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League as he has often been left on Steven Gerrard’s bench. Luiz deserves some credit for completing 86.7% of his attempted passes in the English first division (stats via whoscored).
Luiz might get more opportunities to play from the start after this international break as Aston Villa have already lost Boubacar Kamara to a serious injury. However, with just over six months left to run in his contract, Gerrard would be powerless to stop him from leaving as a free agent next summer.
Should Arsenal Snap Douglas Luiz Up Next Year?
Luiz can get stuck in with a few crunching tackles to make life difficult for the opposition at the centre of the park. He has got good football IQ and can create some decent plays for others around him. The Brazilian midfield ace hardly gives away the ball cheaply when passing it to his teammates and has some valuable Premier League experience under his belt. He is primarily a box-to-box midfielder but can also anchor the midfield on his own if his manager asks him to do so.
Luiz ticks all the right boxes in terms of what Mikel Arteta demands from his midfielders. He will bring more bite and steel to Arsenal‘s midfield department and could help the North London club ensure a top-four finish in the Premier League.
However, there are some question marks over Luiz’s consistency, so it would be up to Arteta to get the best out of him in the coming seasons.
At 24, the nine-time Brazil international is a player on the rise which makes him a decent choice for Arsenal next year. All in all, the Gunners should consider going all out to snap Luiz up in January or at the end of this season.
