Figure Of Fun David Luiz Deserves More Credit For His Achievements

Figure Of Fun David Luiz Deserves More Credit For His Achievements
15:56, 08 Aug 2019

Brazilian defender David Luiz has made the move across London to join Unai Emery at Arsenal for a fee of £8m. 

Luiz at 32-years-old is approaching the twilight years of his playing career but still brings a wealth of experience to Arsenal’s back line and gives them another, much-needed, option in defence.

Arsenal’s transfer window has been nothing short of sensational, bringing in Nicolas Pepe, William Saliba, Dani Ceballos, Kieran Tierney and the aforementioned Luiz, yet for all his experience it is Luiz who is often seen as a figure of fun amongst the football community.

From his wild hairstyles to his theatrics on the pitch, Luiz has often been the centre of attention in the Premier League with comparisons to Simpsons character Sideshow Bob a constant throughout his career. But he has been trusted by some of the top managers in the game proved integral to several successful sides.

After winning the league title as a youngster with Benfica, he made the move to Chelsea who at that time were managed by Andre Villas-Boas. He played an important part under the Portuguese boss and remained a mainstay at the club under Roberto Di Matteo, Rafael Benitez and then Jose Mourinho before he moved on to PSG in 2014.

That spell at Chelsea was the most successful of his career in terms of European trophies as he played and converted his penalty in that famous Champions League win in Munich before showing his versatility the following year, playing as the holding midfielder as the Blues won the Europa League under the stewardship of Benitez.

In big club games, Luiz can always be relied upon despite the notion that he has a calamitous mistake in his locker. Those mistakes seemed to have been all but eradicated as his career has progressed and his passing range has also improved, making him an incredibly worthwhile signing at £8m.

Unai Emery, along with regular football, is the biggest reason for Luiz joining the Gunners. The two crossed paths at PSG but only briefly, as the Spanish manager allowed Luiz to return to Chelsea for the hefty sum of £34m - a deal viewed too good to turn down by the French giants. Perhaps this was an oversight on Emery’s behalf as in his first season, having won the title with Luiz in the previous two seasons, they were pipped to the post by Leonardo Jardim’s unbelievable Monaco side.

The move to Chelsea was an instant success as he won the Premier League title in his first season back, under Antonio Conte. The switch to a 3-4-3 formation worked wonders and Luiz flourished in a back three, something Emery is partial to employing at the Emirates.

An FA Cup win and another Europa League followed during this spell at Chelsea and last season he was still vital to the side, playing 36 games in the Premier League as the Blues finished third so Arsenal are by no means picking up a player who is over the hill.

Luiz may not be one of the greatest but he is certainly a capable defender at this level and his experience can only be a positive for the Gunners. Their defence has lacked solidity for some time and with the departure of captain Laurent Koscielny, they had to make moves to replace him.

Arsenal may be laughed at for signing Luiz, but he is somebody who knows what it takes to win trophies and will improve their defence instantly.

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