According to the Evening Standard, Arsenal are linked with a move for Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa. The Gunners seem to have lost to Newcastle in the race to sign Bruno Guimaraes from Lyon. Luiz has 18 months left on his contract with Aston Villa, and the Lions are willing to offer him a renewal. However, that remains uncertain as Arsenal have shown interest in the Brazilian.
Arsenal were previously linked with Arthur Melo from Juventus. Arsenal’s technical director Edu proposed an 18-month loan deal along with a €40 million buy option for Arthur. However, the Arsenal hierarchy were not on board with the deal which led to some cooldown on the deal.
Bruno Guimaraes confirmed interest by Arsenal publicly and is now very close to signing for Newcastle. Moreover, Arsenal have fallen prey to the absentees caused by the AFCON and also due to injuries, suspensions, and transfers. Arsenal are without Partey and Elneny due to the AFCON whereas Xhaka tested positive for COVID and Ainsley Maitland-Niles is on loan at AS Roma.
Xhaka and Partey both received a red card in each of the two legs in the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup against Liverpool. Arsenal are now desperate to sign a new midfielder till the end of the season. The failed pursuits of Arthur and Guimaraes has not stopped them from pursuing Douglas Luiz. However, this will also be a tougher deal to crack since Villa and Arsenal had their shares of competitions before.
What can Douglas Luiz provide Arsenal?
Douglas Luiz is a tough tackler and a fantastic reader of the game. His ability on the ball lets Villa play their style of the game and makes them comfortable to play against tough oppositions. Luiz can drift past defenders to get himself some space and an opportunity to create a chance. He is also capable of playing one-touch football to answer the press from the opposition.
He makes 1.9 tackles and 1.2 interceptions per game. Luiz also contributes 1.4 key passes while completing 1.2 dribbles and gets fouled 1.7 times per game. He also attempts 1.6 long balls per game with a pass success percentage of 84.4%. These stats can improve even more if he gets more experience and plays in a team surrounded by better players.
Xhaka and Partey both play alongside each other and that does not offer the Gunners any kind of depth in that role. Douglas Luiz will push for a place in the playing 11 which can motivate Xhaka and Partey to deliver even better performances. Not only he will create healthy competition but also he will offer some good quality of depth to Arsenal.
It will be tough for Arsenal to sign Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa as Villa themselves look towards challenging Arsenal in the near future. Moreover, Villa got the better of Arsenal while signing Emiliano Buendia and Arsenal rejected a few bids from Villa for Emile Smith-Rowe. Consequently, Villa might ask Douglas Luiz for a contract renewal instead of a transfer. If a renewal goes ahead then Arsenal will have to deal with yet another blow.
Please follow our Twitter page for more updates.
For more sports updates, make sure to follow us on:
