Aston Villa are reportedly set to sign Douglas Luiz on loan with an option to buy as we react to our injury setbacks in midfield.
Unai Emery’s options in that department have taken a major hit in the last few weeks with Boubacar Kamara ruled out for the remainder of the season, while both John McGinn and Youri Tielemans are expected to miss the next couple of months.
In turn, that puts a heavy burden on the likes of Amadou Onana and Ross Barkley, who is set to return from his own injury setback soon, and given their overall struggles this season with fitness, reinforcements were certainly needed in that area of the squad before the January transfer window closed.
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As per David Ornstein of The Athletic, Villa are expected to secure a deal to sign Luiz on loan with an option to buy, sealing a reunion with the Brazilian midfielder after his previous successful stint with us.
While the return story is great and it’s been reported that Luiz prioritised us over other options this month, what we need from him now is a reliable and consistent option in midfield to play significant minutes across multiple fronts.
He’s not been able to have that with Juventus and Nottingham Forest since he left us, and so it’s crucial that he can stay healthy, play a prominent role, and help as much as possible to fill the void left behind by some influential figures.
It’s felt that his partnership with Amadou Onana in particular will be critical as he can set the tempo and dictate possession for us alongside the physical presence of the Belgian, much like Tielemans does, and so if we can avoid a major drop-off in that regard and continue to play our preferred way, it could be a really sensible move.
As noted above, Barkley will also likely get significant minutes if he can stay healthy now, while Lamare Bogarde and George Hemmings could see their roles increase in the coming weeks as well.
It’s hoped that we get our injured stars back sooner rather than later, but should Luiz arrive as touted, it will hopefully give everyone an important lift, with a player who knows Emery well and vice versa, and so he should fit in quickly and get back to having a positive influence for us very soon.