Italian sports papers criticise Juventus midfielder Douglas Luiz, calling him a ‘flop signing’ after he gave away two penalty kicks in the last two games.
Former Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz has had a tough start to the season in Serie A.
The 26-year-old has only started one game for Juventus this season and has been in the spotlight in recent days for causing two penalty kicks in games against RB Leipzig in the Champions League and Cagliari in Serie A.
Both incidents required a VAR check, but while the Champions League one was controversial, as Douglas Luiz touched the ball with his hand while protecting his face, the penalty against Cagliari for a foul on Roberto Piccoli was quite evident.
Douglas Luiz called flop Juventus signing after 50m Aston Villa transfer
Douglas Luiz has made eight appearances in Turin but has only played 222 minutes so far this season.
On Monday, La Gazzetta dello Sport’s front page said that the Brazil international is a ‘flop signing’ ‘for now’.
Douglas Luiz officially joined Juventus for €50m from Aston Villa last summer, but the following transfers of Enzo Barrenechea and Samuel Iling-Junior to the Premier League club meant Juventus only spent €28m cash to secure the midfielder’s services.
Talking about Douglas Luiz’s struggles in his opening weeks in Turin, Juventus coach Thiago Motta said: “Train, work and give the best every day. That’s how you do this work. This is true for him and everyone else. Surely, there will be positive things in the future.”