Aston Villa could be about to make a huge mistake regarding Douglas Luiz according to former footballer Craig Burley.
Aston Villa find themselves in a difficult position, having to make sales despite Champions League qualification in order to comply with Premier League PSR.
This means that Unai Emery may see one or two key players depart, with an injection of cash needed to balance the books before Villa can focus on additions to get their squad ready to compete on all fronts next season.
Douglas Luiz seems to be the most likely, with the Brazilian midfielder a valuable asset but viewed as a player the club could perhaps replace with alternative options in the transfer window.
Juventus is the most likely destination for the 26-year-old, with reports suggesting a surprise swap deal is close that will see Villa receive £16 million as well as Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior.
Craig Burley does not think Weston McKennie can replace Douglas Luiz
McKennie and Iling-Junior are both entering the final years of their respective Juventus contracts so it makes sense that there is also cash included to tempt Villa to let Luiz leave.
Iling-Junior is an exciting English talent who left Chelsea in 2022 to try and get first-team football at Juve; and he has done so with 45 games.
McKennie spent the second half of the 2022/23 season on loan at relegated Leeds and, whilst he is a midfield player, is a very different profile to Luiz leading Burley to question the deal.
Speaking on ESPN in a clip shared on Youtube, Burley explained why he does not feel McKennie can act as a direct Luiz replacement, as he said: “Villa have got those players, box-to-box already, Douglas Luiz is not one of those.
“Jacob Ramsey and Boubacar Kamara a little bit. Whenever Luiz and McGinn struggled becasue of the amount of games they played Villa didn’t have the answer.
“Whether it was Kamara coming in or Dendoncker, any of those players, they were a poor side.”
Burley concerned impact of Luiz sale on Unai Emery
Burley also expressed his concern with the bigger picture of the likely Luiz sale.
In Emery the club have a manager with real pedigree and the fact he has taken the club from potential relegation under Steven Gerrard to the Champions League in under two years highlights just how remarkable a job he has done at Villa Park.
Whilst Emery will understand the financial constraints the club are under, Burley believes the Luiz deal could risk alienating the Spanish coach, as he explained: “Unai Emery has just signed this big long-term contract and deserves it, but you certainly don’t want the rug pulled from under your feet after such a good season.
“He’s [Luiz] pivotal to what they do, they’ve got workers in there – John McGinn is another player that loves to get about the field – they’ve got these guys that love to get about the field. They’ve got nobody else like Douglas Luiz that dictates the play in there.
The former Chelsea and Scotland player then expressed his opinion that Villa are getting the raw end of the deal on this one, as he added:
“I think this would be a good move for Juve and not such a good one for Aston Villa unless they have another player similar to Luiz up their sleeve that can dictate the play and show a bit of composure on the ball when all around them are floundering.”
Whilst it would not be the fee of around £50 million Villa were after for Luiz, they would receive two players in their quest to add depth ahead of the Champions League as well as £16 million.
The key will be whether the club are able to replace the influence of Luiz for a fraction of his value.
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