Capello believes Juventus will regret selling ‘underrated’ star, proposes new role for Koopmeiners | OneFootball

Former Juventus manager Fabio Capello warns his former employers that they’re about to sell a top-notch player in Douglas Luiz.

The Bianconeri invested heavily in the 27-year-old who was brought from Aston Villa last summer on a transfer worth €50 million.

However, the midfielder failed to showcase his true worth in Turin. Between recurring injuries, physical struggles, and managerial changes, the Brazilian was completely lost in the shuffle.

Unfortunately for both parties, the relationship between Juventus and Luiz hit an all-time low, as the player opted against showing up for pre-season without an official leave. Hence, his agents are now looking to find him new accommodation as soon as possible.

Fabio Capello fires warning for Juventus about selling Douglas Luiz

Nevertheless, Capello believes that the club directors might live to regret selling the Brazil international, as he expects him to revive his career and find his best form elsewhere.

“It’s a shame, because I think he’s underrated. He’s on the transfer list and hasn’t been convincing, but I liked him even though he disappeared,” wrote the 78-year-old in his column for La Gazzetta dello Sport via IlBianconero.

“I thought he had the required quality and that he was a good player. He’s one of those players who are now being overlooked, but perhaps they weren’t given the conditions to perform at their best.”

Douglas Luiz (Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images)

The former Roma, Real Madrid and England manager also extends the discussion to include fellow big signings who struggled at Juventus last season, namely Teun Koopmeiners and Nico Gonzalez.

“Juventus spent a lot of money last year, signing players they had considered worthy of Juventus, especially Nico, Douglas and Koopmeiners.

“Well, it seems impossible to me to see the latter in such difficulty again after what he did at Atalanta. They are all players who probably haven’t managed to integrate and give what was expected.

“But we have to ask ourselves a few questions. Now the risk is that some of them will go to other clubs and deliver what they couldn’t do at Juventus.”

Should Koopmeiners play as a central midfielder?

Capello also suggested that Koopmeiners could be able to find himself in a deeper role rather than an attacking midfielder.

“If Douglas Luiz leaves, they need to bring in another midfielder to be competitive across the board, and it’s not just in Serie A.

“They have Locatelli and Thuram, then Tudor can use Koopmeiners deeper in midfield. The Dutchman could be a winning move thanks to his dynamism.”