Douglas Luiz & Alisha Lehmann at Juventus: How rare 'couples transfer' has turned into a disaster in space of a few months

Lehmann's departure from Villa was not as significant as Luiz's, in footballing terms at least. In her final season with Carla Ward's side, Lehmann only managed to score twice in 15 Women's Super League appearances, and failed to provide a single assist - which is a damning record for a wide player.

The Switzerland international is versatile enough to play on both flanks, but had to make do with a spot on the bench for most games as Ward gave preference to Adriana Leon and Kirsty Hanson. Villa did not consider Lehmann an essential figure, despite her commercial appeal, and thus did not stand in her way when Juventus emerged as a potential new destination.

According to The Daily Mail, Luiz requested that Juve sign Lehmann during his negotiations with the club, and they didn't need much convincing. From a marketing standpoint, the deal was a no-brainer; Lehmann boasts 17 million followers on Instagram, more than any other player in the women's game.

And the former West Ham and Everton winger fully believed that her experience in the WSL held her in great stead to make an important footballing contribution at Juve. "I have spent my entire career in England and have learnt a lot over these years," she said in her first statement as a Bianconere player. "I arrived there as a little girl, now I am more mature. In the last few years, I learnt to understand the moments within the game, and I believe I can bring what I've learned through these experiences to Juve."

Luiz's case was a lot different; he was one of the trusted lieutenants in Unai Emery's ranks. The all-action midfielder gave so much to Villa in attack and defence, registering 20 goal contributions across all competitions in 2023-24. In an ideal world, Villa would have tied Luiz to a new contract.

But financial uncertainty forced their hand. Villa were in danger of breaching the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability Rules (PSR), and had to make a big sale to avoid a points deduction. Reluctantly, the decision was made to sacrifice Luiz, who was not ultimately deemed to be part of Villa's group of untouchables alongside Emiliano Martinez, Ollie Watkins, Jacob Ramsey and Ezri Konsa.

Juve, meanwhile, were able to recoup £18m ($23m) by sending Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea in the opposite direction. The deal made sense for all parties as the Bianconeri made Luiz their marquee signing of the summer, handing the 26-year-old a bumper five-year contract.

"It’s a nice thing to be able to tell my family, once I retire, that I played for Juve. Juventus is a huge club and many great players have passed through this team. This convinced me to come here," Luiz told Tuttosport after sealing the move. At that stage, he was expecting to be a key man under new manager Thiago Motta as Juve plotted a potential return to the Serie A summit.

Unfortunately, Luiz's first season at Juve has been a complete nightmare so far. The former Villa star has featured in just nine games, with only two of those outings coming as a starter. To make matters worse, Luiz has given away two penalties, one that almost cost Juventus all three points in their Champions League clash with RB Leipzig, and another in the final minutes of a home Serie A clash with Cagliari that gifted the visitors a 1-1 draw.

United States star Weston McKennie, as well as Nicolo Fagioli, Manuel Locatelli and fellow summer signing Teun Koopmeiners have all seen more regular minutes than Luiz. Motta has refrained from criticising the Brazilian in public, but Il Bianconero has reported that the manager held concerns over his physical and tactical conditioning at the start of the campaign.

"Midfielders must do everything," Motta said in August. "Defend, attack, know how to play the ball, tackle and score. We only have strong players here and all midfielders who will remain here will be able to do everything." Luiz would probably argue that he hasn't had a proper chance to meet those requirements, but fitness problems have also hampered the ex-Manchester City man.

Luiz pulled a muscle before Juve's 1-0 Champions League defeat to Stuttgart on October 22, and he has sat out the club's last eight games, including a potential return to Villa Park on Wednesday. Juve and Villa played out a 0-0 draw in Europe's flagship competition as Luiz watched on from a Trinity Road Stand box with his family, after flying to the UK separately from Motta's squad.

Unlike Luiz, Lehmann does at least look settled in Turin. She gives fans an insight into her life at Juve with regular social media updates from training, and appears to be popular with her new team-mates.

"I’m very happy to be here. The girls are nice, and we help each other on the pitch; I think I’ve made the best decision," Lehmann said in a September interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. When pressed on being perceived as more of an influencer than a footballer in some quarters, she added: "I am a footballer, and I do my best on the pitch. The time I spend on social media is nothing compared to my work on the pitch. Football is all my life."

Lehmann has scored twice in her first 11 Serie A appearances for Juve, including a clever finish on her debut in a thrilling 6-3 win over Sassuolo. But six of those outings came from the bench, as she finds herself in exactly the same position she was in at Villa, as little more than a squad player amid strong competition for places in attacking areas.

Bianconere head coach Massimiliano Canzi certainly doesn't seem to have faith in Lehmann when it comes to the biggest games. Juve lost home and away to Arsenal in the Champions League and were also beaten by Bayern Munich, but Lehmann wasn't even thrown on as a substitute. The 25-year-old was also overlooked for Juve's solitary European victory over Valerenga.

Juve's elimination has already been confirmed, and any minutes Lehmann might get in their final two group outings will purely be so Canzi can keep her first-team stars fresh. Football may be Lehmann's main passion, but she has still yet to prove herself at the very highest level.

It would be a huge surprise if Lehmann is not still a Juventus player beyond the winter transfer window, regardless of whether she remains just a back-up option for Canzi. But Luiz's short-term future is far less certain.

Calciomercato has reported that Juve could loan Luiz back to Villa, so he can rebuild his confidence in familiar surroundings. There may be some real substance to the story, too.

Aston Villa sporting director Monchi was asked about the possibility of a homecoming transfer for Luiz in the build-up to the Champions League clash with Juve, and gave a surprising answer. "He’s a playmaker. Every ball that comes out of his feet makes sense," Monchi said to Gazzetta. "After his farewell we invested well, but I would always take Douglas back, for any club. He’s very strong."

Luiz may have a difficult decision to make in the New Year. He could stick it out at Juve and try to win Motta over, but that won't be easy. At Villa, he'd probably slot straight back into Emery's line-up, as they have lost a bit of balance since Luiz's exit, and he might relish the chance to give back to the supporters who previously held him up as a talisman.

It's also possible that personal reasons outside of football could also lead to a change in circumstances for Luiz and Lehmann. There was a worrying security breach at their Turin residence last month, when police were called in the early hours of the morning.

As per Gazzetta, Luiz returned from playing in Juve's 1-0 win over Lazio in the early hours to find the house in a mess, and raised the alarm. Burglars stole 11 watches belonging to Luiz and diamond necklaces of Lehmann's worth a combined total of €500,000. The house was empty when the burglary took place as Lehmann was also on match duty, but the incident would no doubt still have left the pair shaken.

Adapting to life in a new country is not easy. Although Lehmann had previously told Gazzetta that she and Luiz "feel very comfortable" in Italy, there may be a part of them that misses their comfort zone back in England. An unprecedented 'couples return transfer' to Villa is very unlikely, though.

If Luiz continues to remain an outcast in Motta's squad then he will naturally be inclined to start exploring exit options. He is in the prime of his career, and a player of his quality won't want to waste a second of it. Lehmann, however, doesn't have the same status in the women's game; she could go on and win Serie A with the Bianconere this season and be quite content with her bit-part contribution.

It may be that Luiz and Lehmann's paths diverge in January. Their joint move to Juve has not gone to plan up to this point, that much is certain.