David Luiz
According to a report from BBC, Arsenal have completed a shock £8m swoop for Chelsea defender David Luiz.
David Luiz, 32, signed a new two-year deal with Chelsea in May, having come within weeks of becoming a free agent at the end of last season.
The Brazilian was told to train away from the rest of Chelsea’s first-team squad on Wednesday, however, with the defender’s relationship deteriorating with manager Frank Lampard over the course of the last few days.
Now, Gunners boss Unai Emery needed to add a centre-back to his squad, particularly in light of former skipper Laurent Koscielny’s acrimonious departure to Bordeaux earlier this week.
Arsenal conceded 51 league goals last season. Although William Saliba has signed for the north London giants, he’ll spend the next season on loan at Ligue 1 side Saint-Etienne. Solving the defensive conundrum had to be Emery’s priority and David Luiz certainly represents a solid stop-gap solution.
Luiz makes sense as an option in this context, given the 32-year-old’s ample Premier League experience and success at the top levels of the European game. He is a serial winner, who has won numerous trophies in his career, including the UEFA Champions League and Europa League.
The Brazil international is one of the best ball-playing centre-backs in the world and is aerially good as well but has always made the odd mistake defensively.
Luiz can be rash at times and often puts his team in trouble in the process; nevertheless, he is a leader at the back and Arsenal forwards like Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Nicolas Pepe and Alexandre Lacazette would certainly benefit from his excellent long-range distribution in the final third.
Read more Arsenal news, click here – Arsenal latest news
The 32-year-old would arguably be an upgrade to all the centre-backs Emery currently has at his disposal. He is still capable of playing at the highest level and is a no-risk player due to his volumes of Premier League experience.
Luiz represents a shrewd piece of business for the Gunners, who will be aiming to achieve Champions League football next year.
The Premier League run-in, the backend of the title race for Manchester City sees them…
Everton is having a bad season so far, from their poor form in the league…
Communication is the heartbeat of any successful soccer team. On the field, amidst the flurry…
In the annals of football history, few names evoke as much reverence and admiration as…
Are you new to the world of football betting and would you like to take…
If you are into sports betting, staying ahead of the game is crucial. One way…