Lee Hendrie thinks Douglas Luiz will leave Aston Villa on transfer deadline day and join Arsenal, as ‘fans are starting to turn’ on Steven Gerrard, as he told Sky Sports News (01/08/22 at 2:10 pm).
The former Villa midfielder added that given the problems in B6, losing Luiz won’t help matters for Gerrard, with Arsenal keen to add him to their books before Thursday’s 11 pm cut-off point.
Arsenal beat Gerrard’s side 2-1 on Wednesday night to pile pressure on the Englishman, ironically enough, it was Luiz who scored Villa’s only goal of the game directly from a corner.
Perhaps he will be working his magic on the Emirates Stadium turf again because, with one-year left on his current deal, he could depart the Midlands.
Whilst Luiz is a key player for Villa, or he should be because Gerrard has only started him once this season, he would become a squad player in north London.
And even though Holte End favourite Hendrie would like to see the Brazil star stay, he is resigned to the player going.
“I think it’s really important Douglas Luiz stays,” said Hendrie. “At this moment in time, Stevie (Gerrard) is having a tough time at the football club.
“Fans are starting to turn. They want to see a turnaround. They want to see results. I think that’s only a dent towards things if they lose Douglas Luiz.
“It does look like that’s going to happen. He has been brilliant for the football club. He took his time to settle in that midfield area. When he did settle, then he was a standout player.
“When you start to lose key players from your side, then it’s a worry because you then have to approach (other teams). They are linked with Dendoncker. Is he like for like? But I think Luiz will depart and it will happen.”
SHOULD VILLA CASH IN ON LUIZ?
On one hand, Villa will more than likely lose the player for next to nothing next summer, so, should they accept a potential fee and get on with it now?
The problem there is that the club is sitting in the Premier League relegation zone, with no identity, form becoming worse and one of the biggest problems of the team is the midfield.
Therefore, letting go a player that should be starting is something that will only be met with a negative response from the Villa fans.
Gerrard stated that Luiz’s future is out of his hands and he would like to keep him because of how important the player is, well, if that’s the case then how about starting the player on a regular basis?
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