Douglas Luiz makes shock Villa return as Emery plugs midfield crisis
Former Villa midfield star Douglas Luiz cuts short his Forest loan to rejoin Unai Emery's Champions League hopefuls with a potential permanent deal on the cards.
The Brazilian midfielder is heading back to Villa Park just 18 months after leaving for Juventus in a £51.5m deal, with Unai Emery confirming the loan move is all but sealed.
Prodigal Son Returns
Well, well, well… look who’s back in the Midlands! Douglas Luiz has decided to give it another crack at Villa Park after his Italian adventure turned into a bit of a dog’s dinner. The 28-year-old Brazilian international left the Villans for Juventus in 2024 in a massive £51.5 million move, but never quite found his feet in Turin.
Luiz’s stats in Italy make for pretty grim reading - just two yellow cards in 27 appearances with a measly 877 minutes of action. Hardly the box-to-box dynamo Villa fans remember.
Forest Pit Stop
After failing to impress at Juve, Luiz was shipped out on loan to Nottingham Forest for the first half of this season, where things didn’t exactly go swimmingly either. Now he’s terminated that loan arrangement early to rejoin the club where he previously made 204 appearances, notching 22 goals and 24 assists.
Emery’s Midfield Crisis
Timing couldn’t be better for Villa, who are absolutely desperate for midfield reinforcements. Injuries to key players have left them proper short:
- John McGinn sidelined
- Youri Tielemans out injured
- Boubacar Kamara on the treatment table
Emery practically confirmed the deal in his pre-Salzburg Europa League press conference, saying: “I think the agreement is closed.”
January Splurge
Luiz becomes Villa’s fourth signing of a busy winter window, with the club already having secured:
- Tammy Abraham from Besiktas (£21m)
- Brian Madjo from Metz (£12m)
- Alysson from Gremio (£10m)
Interestingly, Villa have now spent around £43m in January - more than the £30.5m they splashed in the summer window. Clearly, Emery’s not messing about as he looks to keep his side competitive on multiple fronts.
The loan deal includes an option to buy, potentially making Luiz’s homecoming permanent if he can rediscover the form that made him a fan favourite during his first stint.