Chelsea defenderDavid Luiz has no plans of leaving the London Club as he enjoys life under new head coach Maurizio Sarri at Stamford Bridge.
Brazilian defender David Luiz was frozen out by former boss Antonio Conte last Premier League season but the veteran is back in the fold following Sarri’s appointment.
Sarri’s tenure has opened with victory over Perth Glory in Australia and a penalty shoot-out win against Inter at the International Champions Cup – David Luiz marshalling Chelsea’s defence in both fixtures.
And the 31-year-old – who re-joined Chelsea in 2016 having originally arrived in 2011 before leaving for Ligue 1 giants Paris Saint-Germain in 2014 – is determined to remain in London.
“When I took my decision to come back here from Paris it was to win the Premier League and to do something again with Chelsea, so I am very happy here.”
“I love this philosophy,” he said of Sarri. “We play high, with a lot of possession of the ball, in a technical way. He’s trying to help us every single day to learn quickly his philosophy, to do our best for Chelsea.
On 31 August 2016, David Luiz returned to Chelsea from PSG, for a reported fee of £34 million, and signed a three-year deal. On 16 September 2016, he made his return debut at home in 2–1 defeat against Liverpool after John Terry was ruled out for ten days.On 31 January 2017, David Luiz scored his first goal for the season from a free kick against Liverpool at Anfield. His goal marked his first Premier League goal since April 2013.
On 20 April 2017, Luiz was named in the PFA Team of the Year for the 2016–17 Premier League season.
Luiz was selected for Chelsea’s first match of the 2017–18 Premier League season, against Burnley on 12 August 2017, and scored late on in their 3–2 defeat. On 17 September 2017, Luiz received a straight red after a poor challenge on Sead Kolašinac during a 0–0 draw against Arsenal. Luiz became the third player to be sent-off in the last three meetings between the two rivals from London; with the others being Pedro during the FA Community Shield and Victor Moses during the FA Cup Final.
Although primarily a centre back, David Luiz can also be deployed as a defensive midfielder, and has drawn praise for his physical strength, work-rate, technique, and range of distribution as a defender, as well as his personality, composure in possession, and confidence on the ball, which enables him to play the ball out from the back or launch an attack with long balls after winning back possession. A powerful striker of the ball from distance, Luiz has also been known to take and score from long-range free kicks.
Although in the past he has been criticised in the media for his inconsistent defensive performances, and for being reckless in his challenges, as well as prone to errors or lapses in concentration, during the 2016–17 season, he showed notable improvements upon his return to Chelsea, when the club’s new manager Antonio Conte decided to deploy him as a ball-playing centre back in a three-man back-line in the team’s 3–4–3 formation. Luiz excelled in the new role, while Conte praised the defender for working to improve his composure and concentration, and singled out Luiz as being “crucial” to the team’s success, also labelling him as one of the best defenders in the world