Arsenal turn to star not seen as good enough at Aston Villa as they desperately seek January reinforcements | OneFootball

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·26 January 2022

Arsenal turn to star not seen as good enough at Aston Villa as they desperately seek January reinforcements

Article image:Arsenal turn to star not seen as good enough at Aston Villa as they desperately seek January reinforcements

January has not been the best of times for Arsenal both on the pitch and in the transfer market, with the club unable to secure some high-profile targets.

And now it seems Arsenal are ready to turn their attention away from the continent and towards a player Steven Gerrard doesn’t seem to think is good enough for Aston Villa.


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According to the Birmingham Live, Douglas Luiz could find himself in the Gunners crosshairs after they have struggled to finalise the loan signing of Juventus midfielder Arthur and have now seemingly lost out to Lyon midfielder Bruno Guimaraes who has reportedly been the subject of a bid by Newcastle United, though the French club have denied this claim.

Article image:Arsenal turn to star not seen as good enough at Aston Villa as they desperately seek January reinforcements

Bruno Guimaraes in action for Lyon.

With just 17 months left on his current deal, Luiz could find himself an expendable player under Gerrard’s regime as he targets improvement in the number six role of the Villa midfield.

Luiz has been filling in the position for the last few weeks after an injury sidelined Marvelous Nakamba, who is a more natural fit in the position considering how Gerrard wants to play.

Gerrard also admitted that negotiations for a new contract with the 23-year-old had not yet started, in a week which has seen long-term contracts awarded to players such as Emiliano Martinez and Kourtney Hause.

The report also indicates that Villa are looking at signing Juventus midfielder Rodrigo Bentancur, who plays in a similar position for the Italian giants.

The player is currently rated at £31.5m and has made 94 appearances since joining the Midlands club in 2019.

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Arsenal have struggled in their midfield this month. Albert Sambi Lokonga had effectively been left to anchor the midfield on his own when Granit Xhaka was sent off for a silly challenge in an EFL cup tie against Liverpool.

Thomas Partey then returned from AFCON duty and was also subsequently sent off in the second leg.

Arsenal need reinforcements if they are to improve their position in terms of getting into the top four, so Luiz could well become the man they choose to try and help them achieve this goal.

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