Arsenal are enjoying another thrilling season of football this year and with 17 games gone, they currently find themselves atop the Premier League table with just one game to go until Christmas – a first vs second clash at Anfield.
Mikel Arteta's men might not be quite as free-flowing as they were last year, but their seriously impressive defensive displays have put them in pole position to end their two-decade title drought if they can maintain their current trajectory.
The board looks set to do all they can to help with that, as the latest player touted for a move to the Emirates could become the Gunners' own Rodri, and he has been far more impressive than Chelsea's Moises Caicedo to boot – Douglas Luiz.
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ByJack Salveson HolmesDec 19, 2023 Arsenal transfer news – Douglas Luiz
According to ESPN, Arsenal are looking to shuffle their midfield setup in the January window and are seriously interested in adding Aston Villa's maestro to their ranks.
The Brazilian midfielder was the subject of two failed bids from the Gunners last summer but signed a new deal with the Villans in October 2022, which is set to run until 2026.
With three years to run on his current deal and his importance to the Claret and Blue, the transfer is likely going to be very costly, with former England international Joe Cole telling TNT Sports (via the Mirror) that he expects the 25-year-old to move for a fee comparable to Caicedo and Declan Rice, so in the £100m range.
The former Chelsea man seems to believe he is worth it, though, saying: "He has been performing in the same league as them, performing better than Caicedo, arguably."
And with how well he measures up to Manchester City's Rodri, it would be hard to disagree.
Douglas Luiz could be Arsenal's Rodri
Now, some might argue that the outstanding performances of summer signing Rice suggest there is no need for the club to go and break the bank for a player like Luiz. Still, his arrival would allow the Englishman to move into a left-eight role and have an even more significant impact on the game.
Furthermore, FBref has named Rodri the seventh most similar player to the former City midfielder across Europe's top five leagues, which is quite the compliment considering everything the Spaniard has achieved at the Etihad.
This similarity is evident when you compare the pair alongside Caicedo to test Cole's claim that the Villa star is outperforming the Ecuadorian.
The former Brighton & Hove Albion ace – who was linked with a move to the Emirates over the summer – comes last in every important comparative metric, while the other two trade blows and come out on top in various statistics.
Rather surprisingly, Luiz and Rodri produce the exact same non-penalty expected goals and assists figures, while the former is far more likely to cross the ball and the latter more likely to recover the ball.
Luiz
Rodri
Caicedo
0.24
0.24
0.09
4.94
9.47
4.92
2.27
2.14
0.61
3.38
0.38
0.45
1.56
1.37
1.14
2.99
3.36
2.88
0.00
0.15
0.08
6.56
7.71
5.83
Their defensive output isn't too far off either, with the "underrated" Luiz, as described by former Arsenal player Paul Merson, winning more of his tackles but Rodri making more tackles and interceptions overall.
Ultimately, if Arsenal can get this deal done, they absolutely should, as the opportunity to sign a Rodri-esque player doesn't come around often, and Rice would be given that bit more freedom to get involved in the attack as well.