Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz has dismissed speculation over his future, and insists his focus is on the club and achieving success with us.
The 25-year-old is having another stellar season off the back of an impressive improvement under Unai Emery last year, as he’s contributed six goals and four assists in 22 appearances across all competitions.
READ MORE: Long-term Villa absentee provides insight into difficult recovery process
Beyond those figures though, his influence in the side is significant. With his technical ability, composure, passing and defensive awareness and intelligence, he has become the hub of Emery’s side and is fundamental to how we want to play.
In turn, there is no downplaying how important he is for Villa moving forward, and with a contract that runs until June 2026, it’s hoped that we see plenty more from the Brazilian international in the coming years.
Speculation though has suggested that there is interest from elsewhere, which will naturally be a concern. That said, with Villa’s progression under Emery and the hope that we are developing and maturing into a squad capable of competing for silverware on a regular basis, it will help the club to keep our best players and fend off such interest.
Luiz has always spoken about his gratitude towards Villa having joined us in July 2019 and experienced a real journey since. He echoed that sentiment in his latest interview, and hopefully he’ll continue to drive us forward for some time yet.
“I am very happy to hear the stories but I am here at Aston Villa,” he told Sky Sports. “My focus is totally here. I don’t spend a lot of time looking at the stories. I see them, but I don’t focus on that and I’m not looking at it every day. My head is here at Aston Villa.
“Aston Villa is a club that opened its doors to me when I came to England, so I have a lot of affection and a lot of love for it.
“I have been here for five years, so I have a big responsibility in our team now. I am one of our captains and that drives me a lot. I know the player I am, and I know the player I can become.”
Meanwhile, Luiz was also highly complimentary of Emery, who he has credited for his improvement and development as a player over the past year or so.
Not only has he benefited from a role change given he can now play more advanced and is tasked with dictating tempo and possession for us which suits his game, but he has been asked to step up into a leadership role and become more influential as time has gone on.
It’s clear just how high Emery values Luiz as he often speaks about his importance and desire to get more from him, and it’s great to hear the Villa midfielder speak so well of his coach, as it seems as though they have an excellent relationship.
“Unai, honestly, is an incredible manager,” he added. “Since he arrived here, he has changed the history of the club. Aston Villa is a very big club in England, but things weren’t going so well. Unai has changed it. Now, people respect the club and the players more.
“I believe I am in the best moment of my career. The manager demands a lot from me and I believe he has helped me a lot as well. I am happier than ever to keep working and continue evolving.
“Last week, we had an argument, but a good kind of argument, because he demands a lot from me when I’m on the pitch. Sometimes my head isn’t totally right and I say something back. We end up arguing but afterwards we talk and everything is OK.
“He is a manager who is helping me a lot and who asks a lot from me. He wants me to give more assists, to score goals, to arrive well in the box and to help the team defensively as well.
“He pushes me a lot, but I like that. He is always there to talk with me. Whenever I need something, I just ask him and we talk. Then, when he needs something from me, I can also help him.”
Luiz also paid tribute to Boubacar Kamara, as their partnership in the heart of the Villa midfield has been pivotal to our success thus far.
The pair provide a vital balance in the side to help us dictate and dominate in both phases, and particularly given the way Emery wants us to play, they are so important in implementing that on a consistent basis.
With Kamara returning from suspension to face Manchester City on Wednesday night, it’s hoped that Villa and Luiz can secure another big result to continue what has been an excellent season thus far.