Arsenal move for Prem midfielder dismissed by Ornstein, with chiefs not ‘fully convinced’

David Ornstein has suggested there is disagreement within the Arsenal boardroom about whether or not Douglas Luiz would be the right player to add to their midfield.
The Aston Villa star has been heavily linked with a move to Arsenal in recent weeks, being pushed forward as a potential successor to the likes of Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Mohamed Elneny.
However, in a Q&A session for The Athletic, Ornstein has denied that Arsenal are committed to the idea of signing Douglas Luiz.
Asked if there was a chance of the transfer going through in January, the respected reporter revealed: “Not everyone at Arsenal is fully convinced he is the right profile for them.”
Furthermore, Aston Villa’s stance of not wanting to sell him remains the same. He remains under contract at Villa Park until 2026 thanks to an extension he signed last October.
Therefore, it seems Arsenal’s plans for the 25-year-old have been shelved for the time being.
It is not entirely clear who at Arsenal is in favour of signing the former Vasco da Gama product and who is against the idea.
Only last month, Fabrizio Romano claimed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and sporting director Edu were both big fans of the player.
Either half or all of that indication was inaccurate, or someone else is dissuading Arsenal from attempting to sign Douglas Luiz again.
Arsenal need to address long-term midfield options
Ornstein has not mentioned who else Arsenal might be more interested in, although in fairness, that is not what he was asked.
One way or another, Arsenal would have to add to their midfield again after the club-record capture of Declan Rice from West Ham United in the summer if they were to bid farewell to Partey, Jorginho or Elneny.
All three have been linked with departures from the club after Granit Xhaka already vacated their midfield in the summer to join Bayer Leverkusen.
Jorginho and Elneny are both out of contract at the end of the season anyway, which means Arsenal need to think about their long-term depth in midfield.
There would be obvious benefits to bringing in Douglas Luiz, who has played 25 times for Aston Villa so far this season, but given the price it would take to sign him, Arsenal need to be fully convinced about going for him – and it seems they are not yet at this stage.