Emery may regret selling Aston Villa star who is now worth 46m

Aston Villa manager Unai Emery has recruited extraordinarily well during his spell in charge of the club.

Not only has he signed players who have been ready to make an impact in the first team straight away, but several signings have been earmarked for the future.

So far this season, the summer arrivals have performed well as the Midlands side have won all three of their Champions League group games, while they currently occupy fourth spot in the Premier League table.

If they can continue this form, there is no reason why Emery’s side cannot replicate their league finish from last year, while also going deep in Europe’s premier club competition in the process.

Considering they sold a couple of their best players during the summer transfer window, it proves just how effective the Spaniard has been when it comes to conducting business for the club and establishing a new strategy.

Aston Villa’s summer sales

Due to the Premier League’s profit and sustainability regulations, the club had to ensure they sold a few players during the summer to balance the books.

A few first-team members were always likely to be moved on by Emery. Morgan Sanson was sold after a few underwhelming campaigns, while Cameron Archer was moved on, despite having returned from Sheffield United.

Moussa Diaby was perhaps the most surprising sale. Having joined the Midlands side a year ago for a club-record £51m transfer fee, 12 months later, he was gone.

The Frenchman enjoyed a decent season in England, registering 19 goal contributions in 54 matches. Emery did manage to recoup practically the entire fee, as Diaby was moved on for £50m to the Middle East.

Selling Douglas Luiz looked like it could threaten Villa’s ability to challenge again for the top four, especially considering how well he performed during last season.

With the need to balance the books and Juventus showing plenty of interest, it was inevitable that he was going to be sold. Indeed, the Old Lady conjured up a fee of around £42.4m.

Douglas Luiz’s Villa statistics

The midfielder joined the club from Manchester City back in the summer of 2019, costing Dean Smith around £15m in the process.

“Douglas is an extremely talented young player with an outstanding pedigree who I am sure will fit nicely into our style and system of play,” said Smith upon his arrival.

Across his first three seasons, Luiz missed only 11 Premier League matches, becoming a figure of consistency for the club, despite their struggles domestically.

That all changed when Emery took charge two years ago. Luiz was offered more freedom in the midfield, which resulted in him registering 12 goal contributions during the 2022/23 Premier League campaign.

He was even better last term. The 26-year-old played 53 matches in all competitions for the Villa Park side, scoring ten goals and grabbing ten assists in the process.

Luiz also ranked fourth for big chances created (ten) in the top flight last season, along with ranking third for pass success rate (89%), first for key passes per game (1.5) and fourth for tackles per game (1.7), demonstrating his class across several metrics.

Of course, Emery replaced Luiz by signing Amadou Onana from Everton and, so far, the Brazilian doesn’t appear to be missed in the Villa midfield.

Might Emery rue selling him, however, as his current market value has risen slightly since leaving the Premier League.

Douglas Luiz hasn’t enjoyed the best of starts at Juventus

The midfielder has previously been given high praise by former boss Pep Guardiola, who said in 2021: “He’s a guy who plays all of the minutes. He’s an important player for Aston Villa. A guy who’s clever with the ball, so physically strong. He’s a lovely, lovely guy,”

In his spell with Juventus, however, he hasn’t exactly replicated his performances from last season. The Brazilian has started just two matches for the Serie A side this term, failing to even score or register an assist in any competition.

Despite his lack of goal contributions in the league, Luiz has managed to create two big chances, averages 1.1 key passes per game and succeeded with 1.3 dribbles each match – an impressive success rate of 82% – which proves he is still capable of making things happen going forward.

As time goes by, Luiz should hopefully integrate more into Thiago Motta’s starting XI, gaining the opportunity to showcase the talents which earned him the big-money move to Italy in the first place.

Adjusting to a new country and league can be difficult, and the midfielder has also had to contend with a couple of niggling issues which have seen him miss four matches for the club.

Douglas Luiz’s market value at Juventus

Despite these injury problems hampering his start to life at Juventus and his failure to command a spot in the starting XI, Luiz’s value has risen slightly since leaving Aston Villa.

According to Transfermarkt, the former Man City starlet is currently worth €55m (£46m), which ranks him as the third most valuable member of the Juventus squad, which shows that his value has already soared since his £42.4m exit from Villa Park.

While it may only be a roughly £4m increase from the transfer fee Villa received a few months ago, it proves that Emery may come to regret selling him, especially if he can start performing to his best in the next couple of months.

If so, Luiz’s value might just skyrocket, ensuring Juventus could make a decent profit if they decide to sell him in the next couple of years.

Onana is doing a wonderful job as his replacement, but Luiz was sensational for Villa last season, arguably the player who led them to their top four finish in the top flight and, with that, qualification for the Champions League, which is why they may start to miss him as the season goes on.

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