What Ange Postecoglou can do to unleash Douglas Luiz as Nottingham Forest loan details emerge
by Sarah Clapson · NottinghamshireLiveDouglas Luiz took a deep breath as he walked across Nottingham Forest’s City Ground pitch.
"How I breathe here, it's different,” the Brazilian said with a smile as he took in his surroundings. “It’s nice.”
Luiz still has a bit of a wait before he gets the opportunity to run out onto the turf in front of packed stands, as the Reds are not at home again until September 27. But the moment many fans have been waiting for seems likely to come to pass on Wednesday night; Swansea City away in the Carabao Cup (8pm kick-off) could well mark the midfielder’s debut for the club.
If new head coach Ange Postecoglou does give Luiz the nod in the third round tie, it will come almost a month after he put pen to paper for Forest. Patience can finally pay off.
Much has been said about Luiz being caught in the middle of the behind-the-scenes fallout between Postecoglou’s predecessor, Nuno Espirito Santo, and global head of football Edu. The change in manager is very much a fresh start for the Juventus loanee - and the hope is it can ignite his Reds career.
Nuno almost bristled when quizzed on Luiz in one of his final press conferences. Politics were no doubt at play as the Portuguese offered a curt response when discussing the club’s high-profile signing.
Is Luiz excited to be back in the Premier League, where he has already shown what he can do, Nuno was asked. "I think so. This is what I see,” came the blunt reply.
Now it is up to Postecoglou to get the best out of the former Aston Villa man. If he can rediscover anything like the form he showed in the West Midlands, he has the potential to be a key figure in the Garibaldi this term.
"I was contemplating putting him in today,” Postecoglou told BBC Radio Nottingham after Saturday’s 3-0 defeat to Arsenal. “But I think Wednesday night is a good game for him to get his Forest career started.”
Luiz returns to English football after something of a tough time in Italy following his big-money €50 million (£43m) departure from Villa to Juve little more than 12 months ago. He made 19 Serie A appearances last season, with only three coming as part of the first XI.
He has not started a competitive game since February 11. On that occasion, he was in the line-up for a 2-1 Champions League win over PSV Eindhoven.
Contrast that with the 2023/24 campaign, when he made 35 Premier League starts for Villa and bagged nine goals. He did not find the net once for Juventus.
“From injuries to the obvious lack of compatibility between the two sides, even a mid-season change in coaching, Luiz and the Bianconeri have never understood each other,” Italian publication TuttoSport said as the player’s departure to Trentside neared this summer.
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A phone call between Reds owner Evangelos Marinakis and Juve managing director Damien Comolli reportedly proved integral to getting the deal over the line. Everton and West Ham United were also linked with Luiz, but he joined Forest on a season-long loan in late August.
A conditional obligation to turn his move into a permanent one is included in the deal. Gazzetta dello Sport have claimed playing 45 minutes or more in 15 Premier League matches will trigger that particular clause and spark a €25m (£21.5m) switch.
Postecoglou is still getting to know his squad and Luiz is likely to be one of a number of changes made to the starting XI against the Swans. This tie is an opportunity for players to catch the new man’s eye and force their way into contention.
Forest have plenty of competition for places in midfield. Spots in the line-up will need to be earned as Postecoglou gets his feet under the table.
But the Reds know only too well what Luiz has to offer when he really gets going. After all, he scored twice for Villa in a 4-2 win over Forest in February 2024.
Those goals came after, in his own words, being afforded ‘more freedom’ to express himself under Unai Emery. Having mostly been seen as a holding midfielder, he took on a more advanced role towards the end of his time at Villa Park.
"He is a player who has always had a good instinct to get into the box," Emery once told Sky Sports. "He is scoring goals because his instinct is very good. He is feeling comfortable getting into the opposition box when we are in the attacking third."
Given Postecoglou’s own attacking instincts, Luiz could well thrive under the ex-Tottenham Hotspur boss. Once he forces his way into the team and demonstrates his fitness, he could be difficult to shift.