Chelsea centre-back David Luiz feels happy to have former team-mates Frank Lampard and Petr Cech back at the club. Lampard has succeeded Maurizio Sarri as the new manager of the West London giants while Cech is set to serve the club as a technical adviser after retiring from professional football at the end of last season after his contract with Arsenal came to an end.
The 32-year-old Luiz played alongside Lampard and Cech for the Blues during his first-stint with the club between 2011-2014. He then left the club in 2014 to join French giants PSG before returning in 2016. By the time of his return to Stamford Bridge, Lampard had moved on to American club New York City FC while Cech was on the books of Arsenal.
“It’s great to see him here,” Luiz said as reported by The Standard.
“He’s someone who knows what it means to be at Chelsea and understands the DNA of this club. We are working well so far, everyone is getting along and the sessions have been great.
“Lamps, or should I say ‘Gaffer’, is now our leader and he’s going to try to do everything he can like he did when he was a player, and now it’s up to us to help him build the spirit and the philosophy around the club to be successful. The club is so big and it’s great to work together, and I’m including the Academy and the Women’s team in that too. We are all Chelsea.
“He was a leader as a player, so already he was trying to do his best for the team and it’s not a surprise to see him as a manager. In fact I think it’s great. It’s fantastic to see players who know Chelsea so well coming back to the club, particularly leaders like Lamps and Petr [Cech].
“They will be great for us, and they will continue to do their job as best as they can, just wearing a different shirt this time!
Chelsea will be hoping that the presence of Lampard and Cech can inspire them next season
Due to the two window transfer ban which the club faces, pre-season expectations for the Blues are not exactly high. Some even feel that the club will not be able to finish in the top four of the League standings next season. They will not be able to sign a direct replacement for Eden Hazard who left the club to join Real Madrid this summer. In addition to this, they will not be able to sign a new striker this summer in spite of the failings of Gonzalo Higuain and Alvaro Morata last season. Fans will be hoping that the presence of personalities such as Lampard and Cech can help the club to surpass expectations.
They may have to make do with the likes of Michy Batshuayi, Tammy Abraham and Olivier Giroud next season. Giroud is well past his prime while Batshuayi and Abraham are still largely unproven at Premier League level. Batshuayi did however endure moderate success with Crystal Palace during the second half of last season while Abraham is widely regarded as one of the best up and coming English talents in British football and shone on loan with Aston Villa last season.
