“He was seriously mad and angry because he couldn’t complete his move to join me at Arsenal last summer”- Arsenal star Gabriel Magalhaes revealed his £50M international teammate was hurt after he couldn’t get a move to join him at Arsenal last summer

£50m Premier League player was hurt when he didn’t get a move to Arsenal

Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz was very disappointed when he missed out on a move to Arsenal in the summer of 2022.

That was revealed in a feature on Luiz by The Athletic today which details how the Brazilian hoped to secure a move to Manchester City or Arsenal.

Arsenal made several bids for Luiz in 2022 but all were turned down by Aston Villa.

Moreover, a buy-back clause was never activated by Man City, something that took both Villa and the midfielder by surprise.

However, the report does also reveal that Luiz never downed tools upon the disappointment, rather it inspired him to appreciate what he had at Villa.

Of course, Mikel Arteta would probably still love to have a player of Luiz’s calibre at the Emirates right now.

Although Arsenal are well stacked in midfield, Luiz would surely prove a stronger option than Jorginho, and more reliable than Thomas Partey.

Declan Rice seems to be envisioned as a more advanced midfielder on the left, leaving the perfect role for £50m Luiz.

Douglas Luiz would have been keen to leave Villa for Arsenal

Perhaps this is a deal that could still manifest in the future, however, Arteta may find his side paying a huge premium.

Aston Villa are flying under Unai Emery and Luiz has been absolutely crucial to their efforts.

If Villa were to lose the Brazilian in the near future, it would surely have to come at a very high cost.

It’ll certainly be interesting to see where Mikel Arteta does target improvements in his squad next.

The club have long been linked with a move for Ivan Toney and Pedro Neto.

However, the skillset Luiz is demonstrating at Aston Villa might prove more useful to Arsenal in the immediate.

Alan Shearer has stopped short of tipping Arsenal for the Premier League title this season.

But were Arsenal to make a big statement and sign one or two of the names mentioned above, that might tip the balance.