Aston Villa’s £21.7m Douglas Luiz transfer option is Villa Park no-brainer – here’s why
They say ‘never go back’: clearly nobody gave Douglas Luiz or Aston Villa that message.
Having left Villa Park in the summer of 2024 to sign for Serie A giants Juventus, Luiz is now back in B6, and it’s like he never went away at all.
The 27-year-old signed for Aston Villa on loan for the remainder of the 2025-26 season on 28 January, as Unai Emery looked to replenish his rapidly-depleting midfield ranks.
Ross Barkley, John McGinn, Youri Tielemans and Boubacar Kamara: all of them have or continue to suffer from injury problems over the winter period, stretching the engine room’s ranks incredibly thin.
As such, Luiz’s return to the West Midlands couldn’t have came at a better time for Villa, and now that he’s back, the Brazilian shouldn’t be allowed to return to Turin this summer.
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Douglas Luiz has been superb upon Aston Villa return
Luiz has started his first three Premier League games since becoming an Aston Villa player again this winter, with Emery having no time to waste in throwing him back into the starting XI.
As detailed in the above graphic from Sofascore, he hasn’t missed a beat either, winning seven out of his 10 duels against Brighton on 11 February in his most recent league outing.
Luiz also made two key passes against the Seagulls, took 79 touches of the ball as well as winning five fouls, and recorded a 7.4 rating in Villa’s 1-0 win thanks to a late Jack Hinshelwood own goal.
In fact, he’s been fantastic in all three of his Premier League appearances for Aston Villa so far this season, and looks every bit of the same standard of player who shone at Villa Park before.
2023-24 saw him score 10 goals and provide 10 assists in 53 total appearances before moving to Juventus, and still only 27, Luiz remains firmly in the prime of his career.
Therefore, with Aston Villa understood to have a £21.7million option to turn his loan stay into a permanent one this summer, that is an absolute bargain for a player of his quality.
Had he came back to Villa and looked sluggish and played as though he’d lost half a step, then maybe you could pass on a permanent deal, but with the way he’s played so far, that simply can’t happen.
Emery could have serious midfield on his hands with Luiz transfer
Even once Tielemans returns from injury, the Belgian may have a tough time getting back in the starting lineup.
That’s no bad thing for Emery though, and it could even open up new tactical possibilities for the ever-adapting and pragmatic coach.
Amadou Onana and Luiz already look excellent together as a central midfield pairing, and when Kamara eventually gets back for next season too, those four could form one of the best midfield units in European football.
There could be an argument to say too many cooks may be in the kitchen if Luiz is signed permanently, but if Villa want to become Premier League champions, having the kind of depth Arsenal and Man City do is a must.
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