As David Luiz departs Chelsea for a whopping £50m transfer deal, the Blues would have to act swiftly for a right replacement. Luiz’s career was always under concern under Jose Mourinho, the Portuguese who has opted for Gary Cahill alongside John Terry at the heart of the defense was never confident with the Brazilian at the back. Luiz did feature in the central defensive midfield role in a handful of games but never staked a claim for a regular starting eleven and as the so called “Geezer” departs Stamford Bridge we take a look at three possible replacements.
Raphael Varane:
The promising 21 year old had been heralded by Jose Mourinho during his tenure at Real Madrid as the ‘best young centre back’ in the world. However the Frenchman’s developments have been halted this season after an injury ravaged campaign which has seen in feature in only 21 appearances this season. Varane was a strong and threatening presence for the Real Madrid back line who overcame Atletico by 4-1 in the final of the Champions league is Lisbon on Saturday. Varane would easily fit in Chelsea’s back four beside Gary Cahill and with captain John Terry not looking to extend his contract beyond next season at the Stamford Bridge club, the Real Madrid player might turn out to be major coup, should Chelsea sign him in the summer.
Varane makes an average of 6 defensive actions per game which includes a total of 49 clearances, 8 blocks and 22 interceptions from the 14 league appearances he has made this season. The French International also wins 65% of the aerial duels he has been involved with – something which Jose Mourinho’s team is always good at.
Eliaquim Mangala:
The Porto defender is on the wishlist of almost every other big club across Europe but the Frenchman has already snubbed Manchester City saying he would prefer a move to the Stamford Bridge side. Chelsea have enough quality at the back despite Luiz leaving for Parc de Princes and even though Mangala is a superb defender, it would be interesting to see if Chelsea splash the cash. Mangala is an imposing presence at the back and is also a major threat from set pieces given his height.
Develop Kurt Zouma:
The 19 year old was signed by Chelsea in the January transfer window but the France Under-21 player after agreeing a five-and-a-half-year deal with the Blues and was sent back to St Etienne on loan for the rest of the season. Luiz’s sale will definitely mean that Zouma will get a significant game time for Chelsea next season. He is a brilliant defender who doesn’t dive into tackles and reads the game brilliantly and also adept at playing anywhere in the back line. Moreover, his indirect threat from set pieces also makes him a valuable young asset for Chelsea.
stats via squawka