Any hopes Arsenal had of signing Aston Villa midfielder, Douglas Luiz, seem to be over after the Brazilian signed a new contract.
The impressive midfielder has been a mainstay of the Villa team under Steven Gerrard. However, his good form attracted the attention of Arsenal in the summer, and there has even been talk he was on the Gunners’ radar ahead of them making a £15m move in January.
But Luiz has now signed a new contract at Villa Park in what will be a blow to Mikel Arteta and Edu at Arsenal.
Described as an ‘unbelievable‘ player by former boss Dean Smith, Luiz has gone from strength to strength with Villa ever since moving to the club from Manchester City.
For Arsenal, they must now move on and find other midfield targets one presumes. The Brazilian’s new deal indicates he has no intention of moving on from the Midlands, while Villa will surely no show no interest in entertaining any sort of offers for him either.
The Gunners are flying high at the top of the Premier League table at the moment. January reinforcements are a possibility, however, especially if the club remains in the hunt when things kick back off after the World Cup.
Our View: Arsenal Miss The Boat For Once With Luiz
It’s hard to really criticise Arsenal’s recruitment in fairness. They’ve managed to get some fine players over the line and are a much improved outfit this season for that reason.
However, there will be a sense here that the Gunners have missed their chance with Luiz. Given they pushed hard for him in the summer on deadline day, it was clear how much Arsenal liked the look of the Brazilian.
Of course, Arsenal won’t worry too much. They’ll have a whole list of targets and if they want a new face, fans can be sure they’ll find a way.