Unai Emery has now had his say on the future of Douglas Luiz at Aston Villa amid heavy links with a January move to Arsenal.
Emery was speaking after victory against Tottenham Hotspur and was confident that Luiz wasn’t seeking a departure.
Luiz has been considered a long-term target of Arsenal’s, but via the Mail Online, the Villa manager set his stall.
Emery said: “Douglas is playing very good. His commitment [is] amazing.
“I want to keep him and he is happy with us.”
Unsurprisingly, Douglas Luiz was key to Villa’s incredibly impressive win over Tottenham today.
The Brazilian provided the assist for Pau Torres’ goal, and Roy Keane couldn’t quite believe just how good he was at times.
And although Arsenal and Mikel Arteta would reportedly like to sign the player, it could prove an incredibly expensive move.
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A fee of £60m has often been mentioned, but Villa would surely demand bigger given how crucial he is to their project.
Losing Luiz in January must be unthinkable for Emery, and even a summer departure wouldn’t be particularly palatable.
Unai Emery insists Douglas Luiz is happy at Villa despite Arsenal links
Given how Arteta and Edu Gaspar are now approaching windows, it would be a surprise if they acted in January.
Arsenal have preferred long-term planning, and seem unlikely to make a knee-jerk reaction to Thomas Partey’s injury.
Ivan Toney is another name mentioned for January, but it would too be a big surprise if he arrived at the Emirates.
It does seem as if there’s still something missing from this Arsenal squad, be it creativity or flair – but that’s unlikely to be addressed in the transfer market.
It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise if Arsenal did go for Luiz or Toney next summer, but with a long-term plan in place.
Unai Emery seems confident that Luiz will be staying despite these Arsenal links, and there’s probably a good reason.
The Brazilian is so crucial for Villa, and it would take something special to change that in the near future.