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Aston Villa must brace themselves for transfer offers on Douglas Luiz after display v West Ham, new contract should be on cards
Douglas Luiz ran the show again as Aston Villa defeated West Ham 4-1 in the Premier League on Sunday but it was another performance which could ramp up the heat from clubs interested in his services.
The Brazilian midfielder was on the scoresheet twice at Villa Park on Sunday (22 October) as the hosts came out on top with an impressive 4-1 win in the battle of Claret and Blue sides.
Before Emery’s first game in charge, Villa were 16th in the Premier League – one point off the relegation zone. But he steered them to European qualification last season and now they are back within a point of the Champions League places after Sunday’s win.
It’s now five goals for the former Manchester City star so far in the Premier League this season, making him the highest-scoring central midfielder in the division but also marking him out as one of the most improved players under Emery’s tutelage.
Luiz also became the first Aston Villa player to score in six consecutive games at Villa Park again showing why he is without a doubt, Emery’s most influential component right now.
Indeed, it wasn’t just his goals that made him stand out against David Moyes’ side. According to stats provided by SofaScore, the 25-year-old also finished with an impressive three key passes.
Additionally, he had a pass completion rate of 88 per cent and played six out of seven accurate long balls, recording three clearances and one blocked shot in an all-action display against the Hammers.
Given his performances so far this campaign, Luiz will certainly have a fair few top clubs in Europe high on his tail in the upcoming transfer windows, as confessed by transfer guru Fabrizio Romano on Sunday on his Twitter account (22 October).
Indeed, the Brazilian isn’t a stranger to top interest in the past.
The Daily Mail reported on 20 July that North London outfit Tottenham were keen on signing the Brazilian maestro as a potential replacement for Pierre Emile-Hojbjerg who was expected to depart this summer, with Atletico Madrid on the prowl.
Not only Spurs but Arsenal were linked with a move for the Brazilian also [The Sun, 20 July] with reports suggesting they were set to hijack their fierce rivals’ move for the former Manchester City maestro.
The Brazilian’s contract still has three years to run [Transfermarkt] but that won’t stop elite suitors from returning to the table in the near future if Aston Villa don’t get his future sorted out fast.
The Brazil ace has now made 164 appearances for the club, where he has scored 18 goals and registered 14 assists, with Aston Villa fans hoping that all three of those figures will rise in the coming months.
With that in mind, his future will need to be further guaranteed right now because Aston Villa and owners NSWE will have to brace themselves for several interest in the coming transfer windows.
In other Aston Villa news, the ball is in Youri Tielemans’ court over his future at the club.