Chelsea Opinion: The Blues have done themselves a massive favour by tying David Luiz down to a two-year deal
According to the Metro, David Luiz has signed a new two-year contract with Chelsea, which should secure his future at Stamford Bridge until the summer of 2021.
The 32-year-old Brazilian centre-back, who was going to be out of contract in the summer, has committed effectively the rest of his career to the Blues.
Luiz’s contract situation fuelled plenty of speculation regarding his future, with many of Europe’s elite clubs lining him on a free transfer in the summer, but the veteran has poured cold water on those speculations by signing a new two-year deal at Stamford Bridge.
Luiz has played a key role for the Blues in Maurizio Sarri’s first season as the manager, contributing with 3 goals and 2 assists from 47 appearances in all competitions.
The Brazilian has been an ever-present at the heart of the defence alongside German international Antonio Rudiger and has undoubtedly been one of the architects of Chelsea’s successful campaign this term.
Chelsea have gone through a few highs and lows under Sarri this season but the Blues have done pretty well on all fronts. They have gone one better than their rivals Arsenal and Man United to effectively seal a top-four finish in the Premier League, while also enjoying an impressive run in the Carabao Cup which was eventually halted by Man City in the finals.
The Blues, though, are still in with a chance of signing off with silverware should they manage to beat Arsenal in the final of the UEFA Europa League.
And David Luiz has been at the centre of it all. The likes of Eden Hazard, Willian, Pedro and Ruben Loftus-Cheek might have stolen much of the limelight but Luiz’s presence at the back has been a key factor behind Chelsea’s impressive campaign on all fronts this term.
The 32-year-old has proven himself to be a perfect fit for Sarri’s ‘Sarri Ball’ style of play, with his incredible ball-playing abilities at the back being central to the execution of the manager’s free-flowing possession-based philosophy.
Luiz has not only been a solid presence at the back but he has also contributed a lot to the build-up to the attacks.
The Brazilian has been instrumental in holding things together at the back with his high work rate and wonderful range of passing, often coming up with expert switches of play to set his team on the front foot.
In fact, it would not be an overstatement to say that he has been one of Chelsea’s most creative players on the pitch and has often sparked creativity with his passing and vision from a deep position in the midfield, while also chipping in with some valuable goals.
Luiz has averaged 73.2 passes per game with an accuracy percentage of 87.9, including 6 successful long passes,0.6 key passes, 1.2 tackles, 4 clearances and 2.3 aerial duels per game in the Premier League this term, figures which speak volumes of his well-rounded attributes as a centre-back.
He has come under criticism for a few defensive errors this season but that has often been the case with him throughout his successful career and he knows exactly how to live with it and make amends for his mistakes.
To put things into perspective, it is not difficult to see why Chelsea have struck gold by retaining David Luiz’s services for the foreseeable future.
The verdict of FIFA’s Appeal Committee in relation to the transfer ban has gone against Chelsea and the Blues face the risk of not being able to register any new signings for two transfer windows, which could prove to be a major stumbling block for the club’s plans heading into the upcoming season.
Had it not been for Luiz’s new contract, Chelsea could have faced a potential burnout at the back next season, with the transfer ban in place and Gary Cahill set to leave the club upon the expiry of his contract.
That would have left Sarri with only Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger as senior options at the heart of the defence and the lack of depth might have proved detrimental to their campaign next term.
Having racked up a total of 246 appearances for Chelsea in all competitions over two spells, Luiz is one of the club’s most trusted lieutenants and his trophy cabinet at Stamford Bridge includes a Premier League title, FA Cup winner’s medal, Champions League and Europa League.
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Chelsea are infamous for their stringent policy of offering only one-year contracts to players above the age of 30 but Luiz’s situation has been dealt as an exception, with the Blues hierarchy happy to tie the Brazilian down to a two-year deal.
He certainly deserves it and Chelsea have done themselves a world of good by moving away from such an inexplicable and meaningless policy to secure Luiz’s long-term future.
