Aston Villa: Ian Wright delivers Douglas Luiz to Arsenal transfer verdict
Aston Villa look set to be able to call upon Douglas Luiz against Chelsea in their FA Cup fourth-round replay in a major fitness boost.
Luiz was substituted off at half-time in the 5-0 win over Sheffield United last weekend and was therefore considered a doubt to face Chelsea.
However, the midfielder hinted via a social media post ahead of Wednesday’s (7 February) game at Villa Park that he is in contention to start.
That is great news for Unai Emery, who will now look to start the Brazilian in every game he is fit after his latest impressive showing.
Douglas Luiz shines in win at Bramall Lane
Luiz may only have played 45 minutes at Bramall Lane, yet his four key passes were twice as many as any of his team-mates managed [SofaScore].
One of those passes was an assist for the first of Ollie Watkins’ goals, taking his assists tally for the season to four in the Premier League.
Only Leon Bailey (six) and Watkins (10) can better that, while Luiz also has six goals of his own – again, only bettered by those two players.
Not only is Luiz a goal threat, he also has the ability to keep Villa on the front foot, regardless of who the opposition is.
The Brazil international registered a pass completion percentage of 94 against Sheffield United [Sofascore], which only Ezri Konsa (98) – himself a fitness doubt – could better.
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That tally is slightly up on Luiz’s average for the season of 86 per cent [FBref], and he is able to chop and change the types of passes played.
Indeed, somewhat surprisingly given his position in the side, Luiz averages the second-most crosses per 90 minutes of any Villa player (3.64).
Factor in his ability to win the ball back – only Boubacar Kamara registers more tackles per game (2.2 v 2) [WhoScored] – and Luiz really is an all-rounder.
And in the view of Ian Wright, it is no surprise that he has been widely linked with a move to Arsenal, as reported by ESPN last year.
“Every time I see Douglas Luiz, I love him,” he said on the Wrighty’s House podcast [5 February, 35m, 46s].
“Every time. He’s impressive. I could see why we tried to get that guy. He is so good.”
The good news is that Luiz is under contract at Villa Park until the end of the 2025-2026 season, so the Villans have no reason to sell to a rival this summer.
Emery has plenty of options to call upon in an ever-improving squad, but Douglas Luiz is one of those he cannot do without for the remainder of the season.
In other Aston Villa news, the Villans’ 75% star is only getting better on the basis of what happened last weekend.
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