Opinion: Arsenal would be making a shrewd addition in signing PL midfielder

Arsenal are certainly heading in the right direction under the management of Mikel Arteta, who has taken them from Champions League qualification contenders into title challengers alongside the likes of Manchester City in a relatively short space of time. The Gunners narrowly missed out on the league title last year, as City pipped them to the post on that front, but there were still many positives that their supporters could have taken from that campaign. 

The likes of Declan Rice were added to their squad over the summer, and the England international has wasted no time in making an instant impact with his new club, who seem to be going from strength to strength. It’s set to be an intriguing January transfer window ahead for Arsenal, as Arteta could soon be strengthening his midfield options if the latest transfer rumours are to be believed. 

It’s been reported that Arsenal are set to reignite their interest in signing Aston Villa midfielder, Douglas Luiz. The Brazilian has hit the ground running with Villa this season, and has even chipped in with some goals, which he has added to his game so far this term. Luiz is currently managed by former Arsenal boss, Unai Emery, and it remains to be seen as to whether Aston Villa will be willing to listen to any offers for Luiz’s services. 

Embed from Getty Images

The 25-year-old signed for Aston Villa back in 2019, having failed to make a senior appearance for Manchester City in the early stages of his professional career. That doesn’t seem to have stalled Luiz’s development though, as he’s gone on to be a regular starter for Aston Villa in recent years. Luiz has made 16 appearances in total for the Premier League club, and he’ll be keen to continue to play his part in their strong showings moving forwards. 

Villa are fifth in the top-flight standings, and are just two points adrift of third-placed Arsenal, which catches the eye for the right reasons. Luiz has been a key member of their squad, and has kept summer signing, Youri Tielemans out of the starting XI due to these strong displays, which have given Unai Emery a welcome selection dilemma heading towards the festive period. 

If you’re a keen bettor, then you might be interested to know that BonusCodeBets have stated that Arsenal are priced at 7/2 on Sky Bet to win the Premier League title this year, which is the second-favourite behind Manchester City, who are priced at 4/6 with the same betting site.

However, it’ll be interesting to see how long Luiz is to remain at Villa Park for, especially if he can improve on these recent performances. A move to the Emirates Stadium with Arsenal is likely to be tempting for any player, especially given the Gunners’ upturn in results on a more consistent basis. Luiz is contracted with Aston Villa until the summer of 2026, so you’d imagine that any potential agreement could be a hefty one for Arsenal to stump up – although they’ve not been shy of doing that in recent transfer windows. 

If Arteta’s side were to have Luiz and Rice providing the much-needed stability in the centre of midfield, it could give club captain, Martin Ødegaard the freedom to make more of an impact in attacking areas, which is exactly what Arsenal could benefit from. It should be a no-brainer for Arsenal to make their move for Luiz in the New Year, and if they can strike an agreement early into the January transfer window, then it would be a real statement of intent by the club, as they look to add further strength in depth to their first-team squad.