In a summer where ‘prodigal son’ has been the theme, David Luiz has now returned back to Chelsea. Of all the deals this summer, this deal has surely caught the headline. This summer has already seen the return of Paul Pogba to Manchester United for a world record transfer fee.
Now the London club has also joined the likes of Manchester United in attracting back its former charges. Having let the Brazilian defender go for a sum of €50 million in the summer of 2014, the defender has now rejoined the Blues. This also ends the Londoners’ central defender all summer.
Having been disappointed in their pursuits of central defenders such as Chiellini and Romnagoli, Conte has finally chosen to get the Brazilian. The Brazilian is a proven performer in the Premier League having played for the Blues from 2011-14. Luiz, has an excellent track record at the Bridge, having been a fan favourite as well. He was also part of the side which won the Champions League in 2012. Besides that, Luiz can be best described as eccentric, with the ability to conjure up the something out of nothing.
Luiz at PSG has been heavily criticised and with Unai Emery, the PSG coach, in the market for Marquinhos, whom he wants to pair with Thiago Silva means that Luiz is not the first choice centre back.
The Brazilian was signed by the Blues from Benfica in 2011 for almost 26 Million Euros. In his first tenure, he represented the Blues in 143 games while scoring 12 goals. The arrival of Jose Mourinho though led to Terry and Cahill being preferred in the centre who prefers more solid defenders. Instead, Mourinho used the defender’s ability to pass out of defence by employing him in the holding midfield role.
Luiz will hope that under Conte, the defensive side of his game will improve further. While his attacking intent hasn’t been questioned, his faulty positioning has often led to his criticism. A fine athlete, the Brazilian has often relied on thus natural ability to get him out of pressure along with his lung bursting runs.
Having made 85 appearances for the Parisian club across different competitions, the Brazilian will hope to be one of the leaders in the dressing room as Conte battles the problem of an ageing defence. With Marcos Alonso, sealing a move from Fiorentina, Conte is ensuring that the Stamford Bridge outfit have enough to bolt the door once they hammer the opposition door down.
