When Aston Villa lost one of their star men, it did not take the Premier League giants long to turn the frowns of those claret-and-blue supporters upside down. The loss of Douglas Luiz to Juventus was immediately offset, after all, by the sight of Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea going in the other direction. Barrenechea, a ‘beautiful’ player to watch , could fill the void created by the Brazilian’s departure in the centre of the park too with his eye-catching blend of tenacity and technique.
Amadou Onana, the £50 million arrival from Everton, could also prove to be an outstanding piece of business. A physically imposing giant of a man boasting formidable potential, head coach Unai Emery really likes what he has seen from Onana in pre-season. Now, with attention turning to the backline, the challenge facing Feyenoord is whether they can do like Villa did when cashing in on Douglas Luiz and ensuring that the departure of Lutsharel Geertruida does not go sour before their season even gets going.
But finding a replacement for the man who can do it, reporter Mike Verweij says, will be easier said than done. Aston Villa in talks with Feyenoord’s Lutsharel Geertruida Geertruida wore the captain’s armband as Feyenoord won the 2023 Eredivisie campaign under Arne Slot. What’s more, the club’s man for every position is not only a trusty right-back but a very useful centre-half and left-back too.
Emery likes versatile footballers and he would certainly get one wit.