Aston Villa have found phenomenal form in 2023 under Unai Emery. The wins have arrived, and, therefore, so has a place in the Europa Conference League, leading to an exceptional summer landing players like Moussa Diaby and Nicolo Zaniolo. It has been a near-flawless tenure for Emery, but success is not without its negatives in football, and when the transfer window swings open, the Midlands club may find that out the hard way.
Whilst players continue to reach new heights at Aston Villa, other clubs, be it in the rest of Europe or in the Premier League, will begin to come calling, with one top manager already setting his sights on one particular star player.
Aston Villa transfer news
The Villans did well to not only recruit the right players during the summer, but also keep hold of those who earned a place in Europe in the first place. The likes of Emiliano Martinez and Ollie Watkins stayed put, rightly convinced that Emery's project is the place to be. They may not be so lucky when the January transfer window opens, however, given the latest Douglas Luiz transfer news.
According to reports in Spain, Atletico Madrid manager Diego Simeone has never been so interested in Luiz, and believes that the addition of the Brazilian would strengthen his squad in January. It won't be an easy deal, and Villa are in a strong position with Luiz's contract not expiring until 2026, but the Villans will be on high-alert.
From Emery's perspective, he will surely be desperate to keep hold of his defensive midfielder, who would be hard to replace mid-way through the campaign, with fixtures coming thick and fast, including a potential European knockout tie. The winter window could certainly test the resolve of the star players currently plying their trade at Villa Park.
Douglas Luiz's stats
It's been another impressive season when it comes to Luiz's stats. The midfielder has played a vital part, helping Villa get off to a strong start, leaving them fifth in the table and just four points adrift of table-toppers Tottenham Hotspur. Compared to current Atletico Madrid midfielder Rodrigo De Paul, Luiz stands out even more, as per FBref.
Player
Progressive Carries
Progressive Passes
Tackles Won
Blocks
Interceptions
Douglas Luiz
13
46
13
10
4
Rodrigo De Paul
9
26
6
4
0
The former Manchester City man has earned plenty of praise during his time at Villa, too, including from Emery, who said, via The Birmingham Mail: “His improvement is to be strong in the structure I am creating. Offensively, strong structure trying to occupy good spaces, trying to take passion to get the ball to them.
"Don’t lose this structure offensively then, when we have to react defensively as well, he’s in very good positions to start pressing against them. Of course, sometimes we can have more possession of the ball, sometimes less.
“The idea is to try and keep ball possession for a long time. If we are not doing it, we have to keep our structure defensively strong. We’re being very competitive starting in our structure. Away from home we’re showing it. At home, there’s not the balance I want.”