In a recent interview with Football Insider, Frank McAvennie tipped Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz to leave in January. McAvennie said,
“If he (Luiz) wants to leave in January, Steven Gerrard will have to tell him they’re dropping the price to £10million or £15m and if he says yes he’ll leave and if he says no he’ll stay until the summer.
“I don’t think players need money nowadays the way they used to. So Gerrard can talk to him and ask him if he wants to see out his contract or get a bit of money for the club. If he’s got any decency he’ll get some money for the club.”
Luiz’s Recent Form At Aston Villa
Luiz has played a sporadic role in Steven Gerrard’s match-day squad this season as he has struggled to earn regular first-team starts at Villa Park following the arrival of Boubacar Kamara last summer. Still, the Brazilian sensation deserves credit for scoring two goals in seven appearances for the Villans so far in this campaign on all fronts.
The 24-year-old has seen most of his game time come as a substitute which could be why he is only averaging 0.7 tackles and 0.7 key passes per 90 minutes in the Premier League. He was even accurate when distributing the ball from midfield, as evidenced by his pass completion rate of 86.7% in league football (stats via whoscored).
Should Aston Villa Boss Steven Gerrard Cut Luiz Loose This Winter?
Luiz is a solid tackler of the ball and can make some important interceptions for his team in the middle of the park when he is playing well on the field. He has got the vision to create some good plays for others around him and can even chip in by netting the odd goal from time to time.
The Brazilian talent is an accurate passer of the ball as well and mainly operates as a holding midfielder but can even play as a box-to-box midfielder if needed. However, he is currently in the final year of his playing contract at Villa Park.
Thus, Steven Gerrard has little choice but to cut Luiz loose during the January transfer window for a cut-price fee or else risk losing him as a free agent at the end of this campaign. The wise move for the Villans would be to cash in on him and use the money generated from his potential sale to bring in a suitable replacement this winter.
The post Aston Villa Midfielder Tipped To Leave In January: Should Gerrard Cut Him Loose? appeared first on Football Audit.
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