In a world where multi-million pound transfers are scrutinised to the most minute detail, some collapsing on technicalities, it is an anomaly that Manchester City spent around £10m on a player who was not allowed to play for them.
Hopes were high for Vasco de Gama teenager Douglas Luiz in 2017, with Pep Guardiola keen to integrate him as part of his squad. Luiz even went on City’s pre-season tour of the USA in 2018, impressing the manager and offering a different option in defensive midfield.
But there was an issue bubbling away in the background, preventing Luiz from being a part of City’s plans for the future. It had been expected he would be granted a UK work permit, but Home Office rules at the time prevented non-EU players who aren’t established internationals from getting permission to move to the UK, especially if they are not going to be regulars in the Premier League.
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Guardiola himself wrote to the Home Office in support of Luiz, as did Brazil manager Tite who confirmed the player was part of his future plans. But without a Brazil cap Luiz was left in limbo, unable to represent the club who had just spent millions to bring him to England. A loan to City’s sister-club Girona followed, with the hope of resolving the situation in future.
Premier League and FA rules say clubs must provide evidence of a player’s eligibility to take employment in the UK before that player can be registered, with the Home Office using a ‘points-based system’ in conjunction with the FA to make such decisions. Luiz fell short of the requirements and City’s plans were thwarted.
Luiz struggled to play for Girona in his first season but returned to City in the summer and impressed again. But a second year in Catalonia followed because his domestic and international situation had not improved enough to earn a work permit – he had to have played 30 per cent of Brazil’s games in the previous two years.
“He’s not allowed [to play for us],” Guardiola said at the time. “We are going to try to help him to go on loan again [to Girona] and try to get the work permit [for that]. It’s so difficult for me to understand.
“One guy who doesn’t see the player or any training sessions every day has to judge if Douglas has the ability and quality to play. I accept the rules but I don’t understand because anybody in the world can work wherever he wants.
“The manager from Brazil [Tite] and myself know more than the guys who decide he is not able to play. I am so sad and disappointed for Douglas because he could help us, play with us. He has shown many good things in training sessions and the reason why we spent a lot of money to buy him is because he is a player with a huge capacity to play for us.”
The experience was taking a toll on Luiz, too. “I took that blow, that stab, can you understand?” he told the Guardian. “I left Vasco where I played every game and was a team’s star. So I went to Man City and Girona, and didn’t play that year. That was a stab.
“That’s a moment when you realise how difficult Europe is, how complicated it is to adapt so quickly. You need time to learn the language, to communicate with your teammates. I fell down, but I worked so hard to bounce back [helped by] my parents and my family.”
Speaking to Sky Sports last year, he added: “The time I had there was very difficult, to tell the truth. I had just left Brazil and in my first year at Girona, I only started three games. But in the end, it was good, because I learned a lot there [Girona], that life is not only about playing, and that you have to maintain your respect for your team-mates. For sure, I grew a lot there.”
Luiz became a key player for Girona in his second year but in 2019, with no sign of City obtaining the all-important permit, Luiz was reluctantly sold to Aston Villa. Crucially, they were able to guarantee him more games and therefore successfully appeal the decision with the Home Office. City made a small profit as well as inserting a buy-back option and sell-on clause.
“I didn’t expect to be sold, but I think God knows everything,” Luiz later reflected, but he quickly looked ahead to a fresh start at Villa and his performances were those of a player making up for lost time. The clauses in the deal showed how highly City rated him, and Guardiola was unsurprised when Luiz became a key man in the Midlands.
“The work permit was not possible, so loan, loan, and now he’s at Aston Villa. I think we have an option to bring him back,” Guardiola said soon after Luiz left permanently. “But sometimes life is like this. We wanted him because in the last season we had a problem in that position because we didn’t buy a holding midfielder in the last three or four seasons.
“Douglas Luiz – we thought about that. But with the rules in England with the work permit, it was not possible. So that’s why – or I think he would have been here. He played in the pre-season last season in the United States, and he was really good. I think he has the quality to play with us but he could not do that.”
City had two years to exercise their buy-back option on the midfielder – something they considered but eventually decided against. He turned down a move to Arsenal last year, holding talks with the Gunners, and is the subject of interest again this year. Juventus are strongly linked, and City still have an unspecified sell-on clause.
Despite the frustrations of the two-year spell at City, Luiz holds no regrets. In fact, over his two pre-seasons, he feels his game improved substantially under Guardiola.
“For me, he is the best coach in the world. In two months, the guy managed to evolve more than 70 per cent of my potential,” Luiz told Vasco TV. “I have a lot of affection for him, I thank him so much for everything he did. I feel very honoured to have this affection from a great coach, who for me is the best, for my football.”
If he can generate a few more million for City this summer, the affection will be reciprocated and a frustrating episode can be firmly put behind both Luiz and the Blues.