Pundit Paul Merson has praised Arsenal target Douglas Luiz whilst suggesting that the Aston Villa ace has been just as good as Declan Rice.
Arsenal have been in pretty disappointing form of late.
Sunday’s 2-0 FA Cup defeat defeat to Liverpool means it’s now three defeats in a row for Arsenal in all competitions.
Arsenal fans are desperate for investment this month and another midfielder may be on the radar.
Reports earlier this season indicated that Arsenal would love to sign Douglas Luiz and had made him their top target, but convincing Aston Villa to sell won’t be easy…
Paul Merson raves about Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz
Luiz has been outstanding so far this season, racking up six goals and three assists in 19 Premier League outings.
The 25-year-old is taking his game to another level this season and it’s no surprise to see that Arsenal are interested.
Edu will be very familiar with his fellow Brazilian whilst Mikel Arteta was at Manchester City during Luiz’s time on the books there.
Villa are hopeful of securing Champions League qualification this season and certainly won’t want to lose Luiz any time soon.
Pundit Paul Merson – formerly of both Villa and Arsenal – has now told Sportskeeda that he thinks Luiz is one of the most underrated players in the Premier League.
Merson notes that Luiz isn’t just a holding midfield player as he can get forward and make a real impact in the final third too.
Merson added that Luiz’s performances this season have been right up there alongside Manchester City ace Rodri and Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice.
The former Gunners favourite even thinks that Luiz could become a key player for Brazil moving forward, summing up just how highly he rates the Villa star.
“When Arsenal wanted to sign him a year ago, but people didn’t really rate him too highly but now, everyone can see what he’s all about as he’s been absolutely ripping it up for Aston Villa this season,” said Merson. “He can sit as a holding midfielder and mop things up for his team but he also gets in the box and scores goals – as we’ve seen so often this season. He’s quite well-rounded and still very underrated, but in the 2023-24 campaign, he has started getting his fair share of recognition.”
“People wouldn’t put him in the same breath as Declan Rice or Rodri, but based on their performances this season, I’d certainly put Luiz up there with the pair. With Casemiro and Fabinho past their best in recent seasons, the ex-Manchester City midfielder could also become a key player for Brazil in the years ahead,” he added.
Villa will certainly see Luiz in the same light as players like Rice and Rodri, so any price tag for him will only be going higher and higher by the week.
Arsenal surely won’t be coughing up a huge fee in January, so this may be a pursuit for the summer if Arsenal are willing to bide their time.
The post 'Ripping it up': Paul Merson hails top Arsenal target, thinks he has been as good as Declan Rice appeared first on HITC.
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