In a recent interview with Give Me Sport, renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano offered a worrying update on the future of Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz. Romano said,
“Maybe they could sell one player. Let’s see who it’s going to be. It’s not clear yet. Let’s also see what happens with Douglas Luiz, who’s on the list of many clubs this summer. I think there could be movement at Aston Villa with some outgoings, but they will try to cover several positions.”
Luiz’s Impressive Form At Aston Villa Last Season
Luiz enjoyed another impressive campaign at Villa Park as he managed to put in a lot of influential performances at the centre of Unai Emery’s midfield. The Brazilian midfield ace made 53 appearances for the Villans last season, netting ten goals and grabbing ten assists in various competitions.
The 26-year-old has been a positive influence on both halves and deserves credit for averaging 1.7 tackles, 0.7 interceptions, 0.5 clearances, 1.4 shots, 1.5 key passes and 0.7 dribbles per game in Premier League football. He has even been careful when distributing possession from midfield based on his pass completion rate of 89.4% in the English top tier (stats via whoscored).
What Should Aston Villa Boss Unai Emery Do With Regards To Luiz?
Luiz is a tough-tackling midfielder who can read the danger well and can earn the ball back for his team in the middle of the park. He doesn’t mind clearing the danger when needed and can even shoot the ball with power from long range.
The Brazilian talent is a good playmaker as well and can make some energetic runs with the ball from midfield. He is primarily a box-to-box midfielder but can also play as a defensive midfielder if told to do so.
Luiz is currently one of the first names in Aston Villa boss Unai Emery’s teamsheet. Hence, the Villans simply cannot afford to let him leave unless they receive an astronomical fee for his services this summer.
At 26, Luiz will enter his prime soon, so Emery should focus on keeping him at the West Midlands club beyond this summer. However, the Brazilian has been a great servant to Aston Villa, so it is only fair to him if the Villans sanction his exit. However, they should only do so if they can find a suitable replacement for him in this transfer window.
