Arsenal: Odegaard might overcome De Bruyne with the aid of Douglas Luiz.

 

With one more signing, the Gunners might

assist their star player in reaching new heights.

douglas-luiz-arsenal-aston-villa-transfer-

gossip-edu-arteta-martin-odegaard-kevin-de-bruyne.

Arsenal have already enjoyed a fruitful

summer window, yet could be set to take

one huge step towards truly usurping

Manchester City with another big purchase.

 

How much would Douglas Luiz cost?

Whilst last weekend marked the third piece

of silverware for the Gunners under Mikel

Arteta’s regime, there was an element of

fortune about the late equaliser that led to

the penalty shootout.

There are still a number of gears they can go

up before they can claim they have

surpassed Pep Guardiola’s outfit, with some

late movements in the market sure to aid that pursuit.

Being linked with Aston Villa’s Douglas Luiz

just last month showcased one such option

who would bolster an already impressive

side, adding some much-needed attacking

impetus to the engine room.

However, having signed a new long-term

contract at Villa Park back in October,

FootballTransfers now value the Brazilian at

€39.8m (£34m).

 

How good is Douglas Luiz?

To add some firepower to the midfield

would not only help in their pursuit of that

coveted Premier League title but also help

elevate many of the squad seeking to reach new personal goals.

Bukayo Saka was the only player’s in the

division other than Mohamed Salah to hit

double figures for both goals and assists,

whilst Martin Odegaard was the top-scoring

midfielder too.

However, both of their efforts were

somewhat overshadowed by the Cityzens,

with the latter in particular losing out on

many plaudits due to yet another stellar

campaign from Kevin De Bruyne.

The Belgian was once again creatively

mesmeric, scoring ten goals and assisting

further 31 across all competitions of the

2022/23 season.

 

This even led Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp to suggest:

“His football brain and IQ make him no.1 for

me, and hopefully we can find a little bit

more about what makes him tick because

every young footballer should watch him

and the way he plays in midfield.

“Right now, he’s the best midfield player in the world.”

However, it is worth noting that the 32-year-

old did so surrounded by far more quality,

with plenty of experience at competing at the top level.

martin-odegaard

Bernardo Silva, Ilkay Gundogan and Phil

Foden all combined from the midfield to aid

De Bruyne’s exploits, as they boast an

attacking impetus paired with relentless hard work.

There are arguably few players in the

English top-flight that exemplify such a play

style more than Luiz, who has shone ever

since trading the Etihad for the Midlands.

 

Just last season saw the 25-year-old

maintain a 7.10 average rating of his own,

buoyed by his 12 goal contributions, 86%

pass accuracy, two tackles and 1.2 key passes

per game, via Sofascore.

This, paired with the fact that journalist

Ashley Preece branded him an “enforcer”,

paints the picture of an ideal asset to help

Odegaard surpass the levels set by De Bruyne.

After all, the Norway international did post

22 goal contributions in the league,

maintaining 2.1 key passes per game too.

Meanwhile, his rival would post 23 goal

contributions, yet saw his key passes per

game rise to 3.1.

The disparity between the two is minimal,

and the addition of someone as attack-

minded as Luiz could be the catalyst that

shifts the dynamic between the two.

He can create from deep, burst forward to

score, and yet still offers balance and

solidity in the midfield. All of these assets

are certain to help Odegaard finally

announce himself as the new best-attacking

midfielder in the league.