Arsenal chief helped with Douglas Luiz request - now he wants transfer reunion
Douglas Luiz is Aston Villa's indispensable midfield marvel.
Still, obsessive boss Unai Emery desires more from his Brazilian lynchpin - most notably on away soil. That starts this weekend in north London where Villa will bid to inflict more misery on injury-ravaged Tottenham as Ange Postecoglou's men seek to avoid a third successive defeat following recent setbacks at the hands of Chelsea and Wolves.
Luiz, fresh from his first international call-up in over two years, helped fire Villa to a memorable double over Spurs last season - netting in both victories. He was also on target in six straight Premier League home wins prior to last month's 3-1 triumph over Luton Town and all five of his top-flight goals this term have also come at Villa Park.
But the 25-year-old's commendable goalscoring form only stretches so far with restless perfectionist Emery, who said earlier this month following Luiz's Brazil recall: "I am very happy for him. But I am also demanding with him, very demanding. He is progressing and playing well but is playing more consistently at home than away."
The relentless Spanish tactician is convinced Luiz's performance levels are imperative to his side's fortunes and that's precisely why Arsenal will be told where to go should they table a formal proposal for the Brazil international in January.
Villa will also argue that while they're currently unable to offer Luiz Champions League football, they're certainly headed in the right direction. Prior to this weekend's Premier League action, only Manchester City (81) had claimed more top-flight points than Villa (68) in 2023.
Chelsea complete record-breaking Enzo Fernandez transfer after deadline day rush
Emery's logic-defying side have also matched their long-standing 40-year record, 13-game winning streak at Villa Park, previously set in 1983. And if this hungry team is to fulfil the ambitions of both Emery and their long-suffering supporters, Luiz will prove central to the plan.
Douglas Luiz has starred for Aston Villa this season (Manjit Narotra/ProSports/REX/Shutterstock)He is now among the finest players of his ilk and is arguably only inferior to Manchester City maestro Rodri when top-class defensive midfielders are concerned in the Premier League. The great irony of it all is that if it hadn't been for City's £62.8million acquisition of Rodri in the summer of 2019, Luiz would probably have forged a fine trophy-laden career for himself under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.
"For me, he is the best coach in the world. In two months, the guy managed to evolve more than 70 per cent of my potential," Luiz said in 2019.
It's rather easy to forget that no-nonsense competitor Luiz was once on City's books because at the time, he was little more than just another relatively-unknown teenage prospect following his 2017 switch from Vasco Da Gama. However, Guardiola had desperately tried to integrate him into his side following a dazzling loan spell with sister club Girona - part-owned by the City Football Group - in the summer of 2018.
City were short of cover for the ageing Fernadinho and top target Jorginho had just joined Chelsea from Napoli. But just three hours before the summer transfer deadline, the Football Association told City that their work-permit application for Luiz had been rejected.
As part of the agonising admin process, Guardiola is understood to have recorded a personal video explaining how he would utilise the then-20-year-old within his Premier League-winning City squad. Brazil boss Tite and current Arsenal sporting director Edu, who was working as the Selecao's general co-ordinator at the time, also supported the unsuccessful case.
Pep Guardiola was furious when Douglas Luiz's work-permit was rejected by the FA in 2018 (AP)"It's so difficult for me to understand," Guardiola furiously declared after learning of the verdict. Luiz was loaned back to Girona accordingly where once again, he impressed. However, the following summer the landscape was very different as an agreement had been struck with Atletico Madrid for Rodri.
The writing was therefore on the wall for Luiz, particularly after further work-permit complications. It had become increasingly difficult for City to prove Luiz was of value to the club after they'd just sanctioned a big-money transfer on a marquee holding midfielder. Villa pounced and acted upon the recommendation of former sporting director Jesus Garcia Pitarch, negotiating a £15m deal with the inclusion of a two-year buy-back clause that was never triggered - thanks to Rodri's brilliance.
They too, experienced initial complications resolving Luiz's work-permit issue as he hadn't featured in 30 per cent of Brazil's games within the past two years. The FA's classification system is designed to prohibit a widespread influx of foreign talent - protecting opportunities for homegrown players.
After some haggling, Villa were eventually successful with their appeal as they were able to justify how important Luiz would be for their project. They were not wrong.
He is now one of the few credible remaining survivors of the Dean Smith era and it's testament to his quality that he's never been of greater importance at Villa Park.
Everton chiefs face transfer backlash from fans after deadline day disaster
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
