Douglas Luiz is one of Arsenal’s top targets for the January transfer window (Allstar via Getty)
Emmanuel Petit has urged Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz to reject a move to Arsenal in the January transfer window.
Mikel Arteta is looking to recruit a new central midfielder in the upcoming window and Luiz is one of the Gunners’ top targets.
However, Villa are understood to be demanding a fee in the region of £100 million for the Brazilian, whose contract runs until 2026.
But Petit, who won the league and cup double with Arsenal in 1998, believes Arteta should avoid signing Luiz and feels the midfielder would make the wrong decision by joining the Gunners.
‘£100m is a lot of money, I really like Douglas Luiz but is he worth £100m? It’s crazy money,’ Petit told Compare.bet.
‘I’m not sure it’s a good idea for Arsenal to go straight on the market and buy Luiz for that much.
Emmanuel Petit has urged Arsenal to sign Ivan Toney from Brentford (Getty)
‘I think he’s injured too much and the way that Aston Villa are playing, he probably doesn’t want to leave.
‘If I was Douglas Luiz I’d be very excited to have an offer from Arsenal, but I’d think straight away, I’d look at my current teammates and say, “we are second place in the table and only one point off Arsenal. What happens if we do something very special”.
‘We can imagine Aston Villa playing in the Champions League now. When you leave in the middle of a season, you have to be very careful. When you’re playing at the best level with your current club, it’s a very big risk to change and go to another club. I can understand it’s very exciting to join Arsenal, but the timing, I don’t think it’s good for him.’
Despite his reservations over a move for Luiz, Petit has backed Arsenal’s push to sign Brentford striker Ivan Toney.
‘Toney has been a nightmare for Premier League defenders since he came into the league,’ Petit said.
‘The way he plays with Mbuemo and the understanding they have together is so impressive. He has a physical presence, he can score goals and make assists, but the most important attribute for him is that he will come back on the pitch so angry and so ready to prove himself after he made a mistake.
‘He will have an X-factor, he will have that feeling of revenge inside himself and will do everything to prove himself as a top player. He will be completely fresh in his legs and his head and I think if any team has the chance to add Toney, they should take it.’
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