Everton could target Aston Villa midfielder who ran the show against them
Everton must buy Douglas Luiz from Aston Villa if the club succumbs to relegation.
One thing that every Everton fan may have learnt from the game against Aston Villa was the sheer quality that was on display by Clarets and Blue midfielder Douglas Luiz. The Brazilian was stupendous against the Toffees, anchoring the Villa midfield with ease. His rise as one of the best performing defensive midfielders makes him a possible target for many England sides if Aston Villa goes down.
The Brazilian hasn’t had an easy journey. Luiz moved from Vasco da Gama in Brazil to Manchester City in 2017 for £11 million. Issues in getting a Non-EU work permit at City forced Pep Guardiola to let him out on loan to Manchester City’s sister club Girona FC. His loan spell in Spain really left Manchester City and other teams in Europe spellbound.
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The issues of not getting a Non-EU work permit continued again as Douglas Luiz returned to the Etihad after the loan. This time City were fed up and instead of loaning him, they decided to sell the central defensive midfielder to Aston Villa for £15 million. The Citizens are aware of the quality Luiz possesses and were smart to insert a buyback clause of £25 million this summer and £30 million the next summer.
Considering Rodri has fully taken the mantle from Fernandinho of the prime defensive midfielder, a player extremely important in Guardiola’s system, the Citizens won’t be very keen on exercising the buyback option this summer. Perhaps, the recently decrowned Premier League champions are comfortable with the current midfield options.
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That leaves Douglas Luiz in a very tricky situation. Aston Villa is the favourites to join Norwich City in their return to Championship and a number of Villa players may seek a move with the hope of continuing to play in the English Top Flight. Everton without hesitation should try and sign Luiz.
Douglas Luiz is an apt midfield option Everton have been searching for. His growth at Villa Park is second to none and could be one of the top five defensive midfielders in the league.
The Toffees have been lacking a midfielder who can conduct the defensive duties without much hesitation. So far, Tom Davies has underperformed in that role massively but Luiz could be the player that solves the issues once and for all.
The 22 year old is excellent at protecting the ball when pressurized as well as driving forward with the ball. He is not essentially a central defensive midfielder who sticks in the centre part of the field but generally roams around, adding man numbers to the side where the ball is. He was the controller for Aston Villa in the middle of the park and has impressed massively.
Carlo Ancelotti may be thrilled to see a player of Luiz’s stature at Goodison Park and may even have requested Marcel Brands to make an enquiry for the Brazilian.
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Should the Toffees buy Douglas Luiz?