Arsenal did not waste time in the summer transfer window, adding three standout players to a side that went the distance in the Premier League championship chase last season, breaking the Gunners’ transfer record in the process.
Jurrien Timber appeared to be a potential addition from Ajax, warranting a £38m transfer price after impressing in his home Netherlands, but the 22-year-old would suffer an ACL injury on the first day.
Kai Havertz and Declan Rice both arrived, with the latter signing for a club record sum of £105 million and sliding seamlessly into the Arsenal set-up.
However, Mikel Arteta may be looking for even more fresh faces to add to his squad in the upcoming January transfer window, with Douglas Luiz allegedly one of the targets desired by the Spanish head coach to compliment Rice in the centre of the field.
Arsenal’s interest in Luiz
First interested in Luiz last year – Arsenal failing to land the Villa man at the time with bids waved away – the Gunners could well reignite their interest in the Brazilian when January rolls around according to football journalist Fabrizio Romano on Caught Offside.
A number of clubs are keeping tabs on Aston Villa’s £75k per-week midfielder via Capology, with Romano stating that Arsenal are very much still an interested party despite previous failed attempts.
He said, via Caught Offside: “Of course, we know that Arsenal had bids rejected for Luiz in September 2022, and he later went on to sign a new contract at Villa Park, which runs until 2026. He’s now a key player for Villa so the deal would not be an easy one, but many clubs appreciate him.”
Arteta will hope that this persistence pays off, with Luiz in electric form currently for an Aston Villa team firing on all cylinders and proving himself to be an excellent Premier League player.
Luiz’s Villa performances this season
Despite generally playing in a more quiet midfield role, Luiz has stood out for Unai Emery’s side this season.
He has five goals in 10 Premier League appearances for Aston Villa, who are now fifth in the standings following a comprehensive 3-1 victory against Luton Town.
Despite his great efforts to far, Luiz is somewhat underappreciated, with football analyst and ex-Arsenal player Paul Merson recently referring to the one-time Manchester City star as “underrated” in comparison to other stand-out performers from the top tier taking the attention.