David Luiz has talked about his decision to leave Chelsea this summer and hinted that he feels that the time was right for a new challenge. The Brazilian joined the Gunners this summer in a shock £8 million deal.
The departure of Luiz will not be well-received by Chelsea fans
Many Chelsea fans would have lost respect for Luiz after the move. The Gunners are one of the Blues most fierce rivals. Luiz is likely to get a hostile response should he appear for the Gunners when they next play against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge. Ashley Cole lost respect in the eyes of many Arsenal fans after he joined Chelsea during the summer of 2006 and there is little doubting that this transfer will also be remembered for being controversial in future years to come.
Luiz’s departure also likely means that he was never really loyal to the club. He left without warning and also during a testing time for the Blues. Due to their two window transfer ban, the club will need their experienced players to guide the young players who are being integrated into the squad this season. Luiz’s departure means that they are short of one more leader. If he was loyal to the club, he would have stayed given the current situation.
Speaking about his decision to join the Gunners, Luiz told the club’s website: “The cycle finished there. It was a conversation between me and Chelsea and everybody. I had an opportunity to come to another big club. In my life, I’ve always liked to do some challenges. I’m not scared at all to try things.
“I think not too many players would make this kind of move, they would maybe be scared, or something like that. I’m just trying to do big things in my life, so like I said, my cycle at Chelsea finished and now I’m excited to start a new chapter of my life here.”
What does Luiz’s departure mean for Chelsea
Luiz was a first-team regular for the Blues last season and formed the centre-back pairing for former manager Maurizio Sarri along with Antonio Rudiger. The latter will likely remain as one of the first-choice central defenders this season. His partner at the back is likely to be a contest between Kurt Zouma and Andres Christensen and it remains to be seen who Lampard will prefer.
Both are capable of shining in the Premier League and have proven that they are indeed worthy of appearing in the top-flight through their past performances.
