Why David Luiz could be a brilliant signing for Arsenal
Arsenal are reportedly interested in a sensational last-minute deal for out-of-favour Chelsea centre-back David Luiz. A deal for the talented Brazilian seems like a step in the right direction for the Gunners. There is no doubt that Luiz himself would prefer moving to the Emirates stadium since he has failed to receive regular game time at Chelsea of late.
To be fair, he is one of their best players and has been quite loyal to the Blues over the years. In the previous season, he played a crucial role in helping the club lift the trophy but Antonio Conte seems to prefer utilising Andreas Christiansen ahead of him.
The youngster has done decently but the treatment meted out to a player like Luiz seems unfair, to say the least. The Italian manager has had his fair share of trouble with players and reportedly had a fallout with the defender after he questioned Conte’s tactics in the dreadful 3-0 defeat to AS Roma.
Since then, Luiz has been infamously iced out of the squad and he cannot continue like this. Making it to Russia for the upcoming World Cup is likely to be a priority for him right now and to that end, moving to Arsenal could prove to be the best path.
He will likely be allotted more game time at the Emirates Stadium. As far as centre-backs go, Wenger was heavily reliant on them when he was rigidly following a 3-4-3 but lately, he has used a four-man backline, which does cut down the need for central defenders.
However, Per Mertesacker is nearing retirement and Laurent Koscielny is on the wrong side of 30. Shkodran Mustafi has performed brilliantly and he is their only regular centre-back who is not near 30 years of age. With Rob Holding set to move to Burnley on loan, Wenger will only have the young Calum Chambers to call upon, thus making Luiz seem like a good idea.
He is aggressive enough to bully opponent attackers into conceding the ball and we have all seen how lethal he can be. There is no doubting his defensive prowess and Luiz boasts of some good experience in the Premier League.
Arsenal have been decent enough at the back in recent times but having a player like Luiz could considerably boost their chances of progressing higher before the season comes to an end. Hence, given a choice, Wenger must most definitely try to bring Luiz to the Emirates Stadium today.
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