Aston Villa are experiencing a little bit of a slide, as the top-four contenders have not won a game since their Oct. 22 victory over Bologna in the Champions League.
The Lions suffered a shock defeat to Club Bruges in their latest Champions League encounter, on the heels of a 4-1 drubbing to fellow top-four contenders Tottenham in the Premier League this weekend.
Before that, Aston Villa lost to a struggling Crystal Palace 2-1, and they could not get the full three points against Bournemouth either, drawing the plucky underdogs 1-1.
Unai Emery has done a marvelous job with Villa to this point, and they look even stronger this season with Morgan Rogers and Jhon Duran breaking out as legitimate top attackers while Youri Tielemans enjoys a career year thus far.
Tielemans and fellow Belgian Amadou Onana form one of the best midfield duos in the Premier League, and Aston Villa also have John McGinn and Ross Barkley as options.
They could add another big name to the mix, too, and what’s especially interesting is that this big name would be a star who left the club for a new opportunity this past summer.
Douglas Luiz was one of the best defensive midfielders in Europe at Aston Villa, playing excellent defense and scoring goals in the 2023/24 season as he helped lift Villa to the Champions League.
But Luiz wanted something new, and Villa sold him to generate funds. Juventus may be one of the most historic clubs in Europe, but Luiz is proving that the grass is not always greener.
Now, Italian outlet Calciomercaot.com are reporting that the Brazilian midfielder would like to return to Aston Villa this winter, and he could reportedly join on a six-month loan deal,
Potentially, Douglas Luiz could return to Aston Villa permanently, where he clearly fits both the team and Premier League better. It may be early in the season, but Luiz already looks out of place in Turin.
He has started just two games with no goal contributions, as several Juve players have entrenched themselves over him. Fellow summer signings Khephren Thuram and Teun Koopmeiners have been much better in Serie A, while Manuel Locatelli is reestablishing himself as the team’s most important starter.
Aston Villa have Onana and Tielemans crushing it, so they would not be inclined to pay top dollar for Luiz. The 26-year-old, though, is still in his prime and would make perfect sense as a cheap loan option.
From there, Aston Villa can see how much they would want to pay for him next summer, but it’s quickly becoming evident that he made a big mistake by choosing a Juventus move.
