Aston Villa’s 2024/25 season ended in disappointment. Unai Emery’s side failed to qualify for the Champions League after a final-day defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford. It certainly seems like that, and another summer of PSR struggles has really affected their transfer plans for the next few months.
Indeed, they will seemingly not be signing the likes of Marcus Rashford, Marco Asensio, or Axel Disasi, who were on loan at Villa Park last term. The trio have now returned to their parent clubs and seem unlikely to sign for Villa on a permanent deal.
The transfer goings-on in the West Midlands might frustrate Villa supporters. Despite a couple of early deals, a dip into the loan market could be back on the cards.
Villa’s new loan target
Emery’s side have already made two new additions this summer. One of those is Yasin Ozcan, a 19-year-old Turkish defender who joins the club after signing a pre-contract over the winter. Young Dutch striker Zepiqueno Redmond also signed for the club for free after his contract expired at Feyenoord.
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Now, the Villans could turn their attention to a former player, Douglas Luiz. According to a report from Sportmediaset via Tuttomercato, the Midlands side are ‘interested’ in bringing the Brazilian back to his former club from Juventus.
However, it could be a tricky deal to negotiate. Luiz, who has only been a Juve player for just over a year, is only wanted on loan by his former club, with Villa having made contact as they ‘proposed’ a potential temporary switch.
However, that is ‘a solution that does not satisfy the economic needs’ of the Old Lady, with it yet to be seen whether a compromise can be met.
Why Luiz would be a good signing
It has not really been the season Luiz may have hoped for in Turin. He did not really play the weight of games he may have expected, and it was a turbulent year for Juve as a side, with Thiago Motta losing his job halfway through the campaign.
In total, Luiz played just 27 times in the centre of the park for the Italian giants. That includes one game in the Club World Cup. Frustratingly, the Brazil international managed just 877 minutes, the equivalent of 9.7 full 90-minute games.
Yet, Villa fans will know the sort of quality that the Rio de Janeiro-born midfielder will bring to the club. He played 204 times in that famous Claret and Blue shirt, scoring 22 goals and grabbing 24 assists. It is moments of quality like this impressive trivela assist for Ollie Watkins in his final season at the club that he could bring back to the midfield.
That interest comes amid question marks over what the future holds for Villa midfielder John McGinn. Their captain has reportedly been of interest to Everton of late, as per BBC Sport, although Emery ‘is in no mood to part’ ways with McGinn this summer.
He was a crucial part of the Villans’ midfield last season, playing 49 games in all competitions, scoring and assisting ten goals in that time. That included a thunderbolt of a strike against Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League at Villa Park.
Yet, whilst the Scotland international is capable of those major moments, and is a hard-working member of the Villa midfield, signing Luiz, an “engine” in midfield according to Statman Dave, could certainly be seen as an upgrade.
The stats on FBref from each player’s most recent season for Villa suggest that Luiz is a better option in midfield. For example, in 2023/24, he averaged 5.05 progressive passes and 5.53 ball recoveries per 90 minutes compared to 4.17 progressive passes and 4.05 ball recoveries each game for McGinn.
He also represents a greater goal threat and creative outlet than his former teammate, as his goals and assists average can attest to.
Goals and assists
0.42
0.2
Progressive passes
5.05
4.17
Key passes
1.59
1.26
Tackles and interceptions
2.43
1.9
Ball recoveries
5.53
4.05
Progressive carries
1.8
1.3
Luiz, who is on £138k-per-week at Juve, according to reports, is a superb all-round midfielder. In many ways, he is better than McGinn, and, as the stats show, would be a huge upgrade on the Villans’ captain.
Bringing him back to Villa Park for the 2025/26 season would be a bold move by Emery’s side, but there is no doubt about the quality he will bring to the centre of the park.
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