'Never shows up': National media now criticise £42m player for display on full debut after leaving Aston Villa

Aston Villa sold a number of international level footballers during the summer transfer window as Monchi oversaw a major reshuffle.

The likes of Moussa Diaby, a France international, Douglas Luiz, a Brazil international, and Viljami Sinisalo, who represents Finland, were allowed to leave along with many others, as the Villans prepared for a return to the UEFA Champions League.

Now, one of these big names sold by Aston Villa has been criticised for his performance on his full debut…

Douglas Luiz hammered by Italian media

One of the more surprising deals of the summer transfer window saw Luiz move to Juventus in a £42.3m deal.

The Brazilian had only just scored ten goals and provided ten assists in 53 appearances for Unai Emery last season, having also been named the Player’s Player of the Season and Supporter’s Player of the Season at Aston Villa after the 2022/23 campaign.

Aston Villa agreed to the deal, which also saw Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea move the other way to Villa Park, to “alleviate concerns about meeting the Premier League’s profitability and sustainability regulations” (PSR) – according to the Guardian.

Now – however – Luiz has shown signs of struggling to match his sublime efforts under Emery in Turin.

Italian media outlet Corriere dello Sport have analysed the South American’s performance, after he made his first start for Juventus in Saturday’s 0-0 draw against Empoli, and they were far from impressed.

They write that Luiz “never shows up” when called upon by Thiago Motta, who handed the 26-year-old a full debut after short cameos from the bench in clashes against Como, Hellas Verona and Roma.

Corriere dello Sport add that Luiz – who Arsenal also wanted – failed to show any initiative on his full debut for Juventus, adding that “if he continues like this” he will do well to receive another start.

Aston Villa did tremendously well

Many Aston Villa fans and neutrals alike were perplexed to see Luiz offloaded for PSR reasons after his stunning 2024/25 campaign, but Monchi seems to have handled the situation perfectly.

The sale enabled Aston Villa to invest properly ahead of UEFA Champions League football this season, which they certainly did after bringing in Amadou Onana as a replacement.

Impressively, the Belgium international already has two goals in four Premier League games, both of which have been winners in 2-1 victories over West Ham and Leicester City.

As things stand, Aston Villa appear to have played a blinder in the transfer market with this particular midfield swap – to say the least.