Douglas Luiz’s brief stay at Juventus appears to be coming to an end.
The Brazilian signed from Aston Villa last summer for a reported £42.35 million. But he played just 27 games across all competitions, with 877 minutes total. That’s an average of 32.48 minutes per appearance.
And things have got worse. With his future already in doubt, Luiz reportedly failed to show up for the first day of Juventus’ pre-season training. It has been speculated that the Brazilian is looking to force a move away from Juventus.
So, where could he go?
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Dream: Man Utd
It’s no secret that Manchester United are looking to bolster their midfield. They have Manuel Ugarte for one of their holding midfield spots, but the second is up for grabs. Kobbie Mainoo hasn’t been given a proper run under Ruben Amorim, and Casemiro isn’t getting any younger.
Douglas Luiz isn’t exactly a young star breaking through, but he’s hitting the peak of his career age-wise. And Man Utd know he can play in the Premier League.
In his final season in the Premier League with Aston Villa, Luiz averaged 1.8 tackles per 90 minutes. While that was by no means the most in the Premier League, it was a decent average. His total of 58 was only betted by John McGinn among Villa players. He also averaged 0.7 interceptions per 90, again a respectable amount. Luiz is by no means a midfield destroyer, but he’d be a good partner for Ugarte or Casemiro.
And that’s shown by their numbers from last season. It’s actually Casemiro that outperformed Ugarte for Man Utd — and it’s not even a case of one player significantly fewer minutes than the other. The Brazilian averaged a whopping five tackles per 90 minutes, with Ugarte coming in at 3.9 tackles made.
Ugarte and Casemiro also averaged 6.2 ball recoveries per 90 in the Premier League last season. Luiz’s Premier League average of 5.6 per 90 in 2023-24 would again supplement either player. He’s not here to replace.
Realistic: AC Milan
It’s hard to truly analyse Luiz’s time in Serie A last season. Because he only played 516 minutes in the league. But we would be able to analyse more if he were to stay in the Italian top flight.
AC Milan are in need of a No.6. The Rossoneri bade farewell to Tijjani Reijnders in the summer, with the Dutch midfielder joining Manchester City. They have added Luka Modric and Samuele Ricci to their midfield, but that wouldn’t rule out another signing. And Luiz has reportedly offered himself to AC Milan.
With his limited time in Serie A last season, Luiz averaged 2.27 tackles per 90. He also averaged 2.79 possessions in the middle third and 1.92 possessions won in the defensive third. He showed that he can still protect the defence. And that’s what AC Milan need.
The Rossoneri only won 16.39 possessions in the middle third per game in Serie A last season. Only four teams managed fewer. They also ranked in poorly for possessions won in the attacking third (3.16 per match) and the defensive third (17.21 per match).
AC Milan conceded 7.21 shots from inside the box in Serie A last season, and 4.21 shots from outside. While they are by no means bad, it placed AC Milan around the middle of the league. And they want to be contending with the big boys for those stats.
Wildcard: Everton
We go back to the Premier League with another linked team, this time Everton. The Toffees do need to bolster their midfield this season, after Abdoulaye Doucoure left at the end of his contract.
James Garner and Idrissa Gueye were the two holding players in Everton’s midfield, with Doucoure playing just ahead. And that might be where Luiz would thrive at the Hill Dickinson Stadium, in a more box-to-box role.
Again looking back to Luiz’s 2023-24 season with Aston Villa, the Brazilian compares well with Doucoure. In fact, he was better in most metrics than Doucoure was last season.
The Brazilian averaged 0.9 shots per 90 in Serie A last season, with 1.6 chances created. Doucoure had 0.7 shots and created 1.0 chances. Luiz was better at winning battles too. He averaged 1.8 tackles per 90 to Doucoure’s 1.7, with 4.5 duels won to 3.8.
Luiz had more success in duels too, winning 56.82% of his aerial duels and 50.2% of his ground duels. The Brazilian made 0.7 interceptions and 5.6 ball recoveries. The only matchup Doucoure won was take-ons completed, at 0.9 per 90 last season compared to Luiz’s 0.8 per 90 in 2023-24.
It would be a good move for all parties. What makes this a wildcard choice is simply that, it’s Everton — it’s not a move you’d expect Luiz to make of the other teams available.
Squawka Suggests: Tottenham
Another Premier League team in need of a No.6 is Tottenham Hotspur. And they could be the best club for Luiz to re-find his form.
Tottenham are in a new era with Thomas Frank replacing Ange Postecoglou, and a new midfield could come. Rodrigo Bentancur was mostly used as the base of the midfield trio, but the Uruguayan wasn’t in his best role. It was a stop-gap move by Postecoglou that brought mixed results.
Luiz could thrive. Whether playing as the sole No.6 or as part of a double pivot, there might not be a better manager to revive Luiz than Frank.
In his final Premier League season, Luiz won the ball 84 times in the defensive third and 23 times in the attacking third. He led Aston Villa in both metrics. It worked out to 2.52 possessions won in the defensive third, with Luiz providing a good buffer when opponents got close to the Villa box. He also won possession 2.31 times in the middle third in his final season at Villa. Tottenham need a ball-winner.