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Former Chelsea full-back Filipe Luis has opened up about his brief one-year stint at Stamford Bridge in brutally honest fashion. The Brazilian defender, who currently plies his trade with Flamengo, revealed that current Liverpool star Mohamed Salah was betrayed by the Blues.
After inspiring Atletico Madrid to the La Liga title in 2014, Filipe Luis moved to Chelsea in a £15.8m deal. However, the move failed to work out for the Brazilian, as he made just nine league outings during his short stint with Chelsea.
He was often left languishing on the bench and was second-fiddle to Cesar Azpilicueta, with the then-manager Jose Mourinho preferring the Spanish full-back.
The 35-year-old spent just 12 months with Chelsea before opting to return to Atletico Madrid at the end of the season in 2015.
Speaking in an interview via the Guardian, Luis said:
“When I was on the bench for the first game of the season I knocked on Mourinho’s office door and said: ‘Why did you bring me here? Why didn’t you just leave me at Atletico?’
“He said that he didn’t feel as secure defensively with me in the team as he did with Azpilicueta. He said I had to win my place. I couldn’t expect that because of my name I was going to be first choice. He was right. I wasn’t playing well. But I also think you have to be on the pitch to improve."
“I never regretted the move because I was at one of the biggest clubs in the world but everyone wants to play!”
Filipe Luis also opened up about Mohamed Salah’s struggles with Chelsea after the Egyptian opted to quit the Blues for lack of game time. He added that Jose Mourinho’s failed to get the best out of the Liverpool star, who was performing brilliantly in training.
“He [Mourinho] didn’t get the best out of me, just as he didn’t with Salah.”
“Not that anyone could see Salah being this good, right? Wrong. I suffered Salah in training, pfff”
“When he went Fiorentina, I said: ‘Why are you going, Momo? This is Chelsea.’ And he said: ‘I need to play.’ I thought: ‘This kid’s good.’ He never went for money or to win more; he went to show he could play. In training he was like Messi. Really, like Messi. Ask anyone."
“It’s a pity not to have played with him more.”
From Chelsea outcast to Liverpool star
After his move to Serie A, Mohamed Salah returned to the Premier League in 2017, signing with Liverpool for £35m. He has since stamped his name as one of the world’s best attackers.
He scored a mind-boggling 32 league goals in his first season with the Reds before scoring another 22 goals in the following campaign to help Liverpool finish second in the Premier League.
The Egyptian scored 19 goals en route to Liverpool’s first Premier League league title in almost three decades last season. Since his move to Anfield, he has scored over 110 goals for the Reds.
Mohamed Salah has won four major titles since his return to England, including one Premier League title, one UEFA Champions League trophy, one UEFA Super Cup and one FIFA Club World Cup trophy.
