Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz has solidified his commitment to the club despite attracting interest from Arsenal ahead of the summer transfer window.
Luiz’s outstanding performance throughout the last year and a half significantly contributes to Villa’s ambitious targets for Champions League qualification and Europa Conference League success in the season’s final stretch.
Just before Emery joined the club, Luiz renewed his contract with Villa, even after Arsenal’s three unsuccessful bids for him on deadline day.
Villa are likely to demand a premium for any discussions about a summer transfer due to his rising profile. According to Spanish reports, Monchi, Villa’s President of Football Operations is rumoured to be considering a staggering £85m price tag for Luiz.
Alphonso Davies will miss the Champions League quarter-final second-leg tie between Arsenal and Bayern Munich after picking up an early yellow card at the Emirates Stadium. The left-back was one of two players in Thomas Tuchel’s side at risk of accumulating bookings and being suspended alongside Leon Goretzka.
Arsenal themselves entered the game with Declan Rice and Kai Havertz walking the tightrope. Davies was the first to learn his fate though, picking up a cheap card for a foul on Bukayo Saka on the halfway line.
Arsenal were rewarded for their targeting of the Canadian just minutes later. Saka opened the scoring with a brilliant finish cutting in from the right side.
Ben White almost made it 2-0, once more exposing Davies in the Bayern defence, but was denied by Manuel Neuer standing tall. Mikel Arteta’s side were soon pegged back following a defensive mix-up themselves
Bayern also had former Arsenal transfer target Sacha Boey down as a suspension risk for the second leg but he missed the game with injury. The yellow card accumulation ends after the quarter-finals.
For Arsenal they already came into the game with a giant advantage over their German opponents. No away fans were allowed into the stadium after UEFA handed them a ban following supporters throwing flares onto the pitch in the last-16 tie against Lazio.
For the home side it’s their first quarter-final appearance in the competition for 14 years. They will also have to contend with suspension worries in the Premier League upon its return with Havertz once more towing a fine line.
