TOM COLLOMOSSE: Douglas Luiz proves a point to former manager Pep Guardiola after the Aston Villa star ran the show to help Unai Emery's side defeat Man City

Douglas Luiz is coveted by some of the most successful clubs in Europe but the best of the lot probably wish he still played for them.

The Aston Villa midfielder is one of the top targets for Arsenal, who bid for him three times last year. Yet Luiz is tied to a long contract and Villa in no mood to sell.

If Declan Rice, Moises Caicedo and Enzo Fernandez are worth more than £100million, Villa co-owner Nassef Sawiris will reason, why should he ask any less for Luiz? And with Villa firm contenders for a Champions League spot, they will be loath to weaken the side in January.

Yet Luiz could have been playing for Manchester City on Wednesday – and Pep Guardiola must have felt wistful as he watched Luiz and Kamara boss the centre of the pitch in the first half.

Because Luiz was on City’s books from 2017-19, after joining from Brazilian club Vasco da Gama. 

He never made a first-team appearance for City in that period, however, and was sold to Villa after they were promoted in 2019. 

The deal came with a two-year buyback clause for City, but that has long since expired.

Should City want him back, they would surely have to break their transfer record, the £100m paid in 2021 another Aston Villa player, Jack Grealish.

Luiz often flattered to deceive in his first three years at Villa Park. Under Dean Smith he alternated bright displays with grey ones and like much of the squad, was sliding backwards under Steven Gerrard. 

But Unai Emery turned up just in time in the autumn of 2022. He gave the squad a collective shake and now Luiz is one of the finest midfielders in the top flight. He has regained his place in the Brazil squad, too, and will have his sights on next summer’s Copa America.

Asked about Arsenal’s interest, Luiz told Sky Sports: ‘I am very happy to hear the stories but I am here at Aston Villa. 

'My focus is totally here. I don't spend a lot of time looking at the stories. I see them, but I don't focus on that and I'm not looking at it every day. My head is here at Aston Villa.’

This is undoubtedly Villa’s most exciting side since Martin O’Neill’s team challenged at the top end of the table in the early part of the 2000s.

Luiz is not the only player who would attract interest from Champions League clubs.

The role of Emery and those who run the football side of this club is to convince these rising stars that they can fulfil their ambitions in the West Midlands. And so far, the Villa boss is making a seriously convincing case.