Dip in form sparks transfer speculation for Aston Villa's No. 6

A terrible evening for the Aston Villa midfielder on Thursday against Olympiacos which saw him concede a penalty and miss one himself was evidence of his poor form in the second half of the season. The question for Villa is - would they consider selling Villa's number six in the summer?

Villa's midfield maestro was the winner of the supporters and players' player of the year at the end of the 2022-23 campaign and fans are now wondering why Douglas Luiz has taken such a dip in form.

The first half of this season was a phenomenal one for Luiz and by the halfway mark in the season he had registers six goals and three assists from midfield. His presence and ability on the ball was hugely influential in the way Villa attacked and opposition teams were struggling to cope with his ability to get the ball forward quickly.

This was clear in games such as West Ham at home where Luiz scored two and during the incredible week in December where Villa beat both Manchester City and Arsenal without conceding.

However, the injury suffered by his midfield partner Boubacar Kamara has meant Luiz's role in the team has changed and the licence he had to venture forward knowing his partner would cover him defensively has gone.

More and more mistakes have creeped into his game on the ball and his confidence looks to be shot to pieces. The question now for Villa is do they look to cash in on their star midfielder whilst interest is there from other clubs?

It has been well documented that Arsenal have held interest in Luiz for a long time and failed in their attempt to sign him last January. A £30 million deal was close but in the end he remained at Villa and has since increased his price tag significantly as a result of the performances last season and during the first half of this campaign.

Discussions with fellow fans on 'X' has shown that the fan base are split on what they would do with regards to selling or keeping Luiz. Many believe that despite this recent drop in form that he is a key player that Villa can't afford to lose, whilst others believe that with the money the sale of Luiz would make Villa could strengthen their squad further with new replacements.

The likes of Arsenal are likely to come in for Luiz once more this summer and it will certainly be interesting to see whether Emery feels he and Villa would be able to cope with his loss from the club.

Emery has always been a man that wants his players to have discipline and Douglas Luiz is a player that receives yellow cards regularly and has led to suspension and missing vital games. Should a big money offer come in it would be difficult to see Emery and Villa turn this down, in my opinion.

Villa have been linked with the likes of Alex Baena of Villarreal, a midfielder Emery knows well, and he as well as others are likely to be considered ahead of a decision that will be made regarding Luiz in the next couple of months.