London Calling is weekly column covering football in the English capital
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Chelsea’s decision to re-sign David Luiz on deadline day was in-keeping with Blues boss Antonio Conte’s wish to not grossly overspend with regard to his valuation of transfer targets, even if it meant that the Blues had to make some tough decisions in the transfer market this summer.
Just days before even a whisper of bringing Luiz back into the fold Chelsea were lumbered with the prospect of paying £60 million for Kalidou Koulibaly. Even though the Napoli centre-half is highly-rated, Chelsea decided he was massively over priced.
Of course most pegged Chelsea to secure Koulibaly no matter what the price — the Blues’ defense was a major issue last season, and was still cause for concern after a solid start to the campaign under Conte until the Luiz signing.
History says that “Red Rom” will identify a target and sign him no matter the price, fans are used to this. However, the last few years have felt rather different.
With Chelsea’s billionaire owner apprehensive to over-spend given the inflated market, the South-West London club has been more shrewd in the transfer market for better or worse. With a £40 million offer not enough to land John Stones last summer, and £35 million unable to unsettle AC Milan for rising star Alessio Romagnoli the Blues turned to a “shock” option — former player David Luiz.
David Luiz was nobody’s first option in this window, let’s be clear, but that’s not necessarily because nobody thought he was a good player — in-fact, this worked out in Chelsea’s favour. Had there been interest in Luiz he surely would have commanded a higher fee than the reported £30 million Chelsea paid to bring the eccentric Brazilian back to Stamford Bridge.
For people worried about how this “looks for the club,” it should be noted that clearly the Chelsea board didn’t care what it looks like re-signing another player they let go — why? Because Luiz was the best player available to them at that point in the window. It was sign David Luiz or loan Aymen Abdennour — the board and Conte chose to re-sign Luiz.
With the fees that were being demanded of defenders with no experience playing in the world’s fastest most physical league, £30 million is a bargain for a defender like David Luiz.
David Luiz is an experienced international, and has a wealth of experience in playing at the highest level in Europe. In-fact Luiz was one of Paris Saint Germain’s key players in their Champions League campaign while barely putting a foot wrong, and scoring, against his current team in their round of 16 clash last season.
Luiz has a proven pedigree of playing well against Europe’s best and frankly? Kalidou Koulibaly doesn’t. When you stack up the defensive odds against both players — Luiz comes out on top almost every time.
Luiz leads Kalidou Koulibaly in 9 of 12 statistical categories that underpin what an underrated player David Luiz really is — here’s a breakdown of where they lie.
All stats are obtained via Squawka and are per 90 minutes.
Tackles Won:
David Luiz: 0.99
Koulibaly: 2.15
Tackles Lost:
David Luiz: 1.25
Koulibaly: 1.99
Total Duels (tackles, aerial):
David Luiz: 55.26%
Koulibaly: 48.93%
Successful Take-Ons:
David Luiz: 88.90%
Koulibaly: 88.24%
Fouls Committed:
David Luiz: 0.86
Koulibaly: 1.84
Interceptions:
David Luiz: 2.58
Koulibaly: 2.56
Blocks:
David Luiz: 0.34
Koulibaly: 0.64
Clearances:
David Luiz: 3.62
Koulibaly: 3.90
Pass Completion:
David Luiz: 92%
Koulibaly: 86%
Key Passes:
David Luiz: 0.30%
Koulibaly: 0.28%
Assists:
David Luiz: 0.09%
Koulibaly: 0%
Chances Created:
David Luiz: 0.39%
Koulibaly: 0.28%
Goals Scored (total):
David Luiz: 1
Koulibaly: 0
What Chelsea needed was quality now, and in Luiz they have it. Koulibaly may well be a fantastic prospect but with Kurt Zouma working his way back from injury, and Andreas Christensen waiting in the wings after impressing in the Bundesliga, you have to wonder why Chelsea would bother wasting time on another project.
Besides, Luiz contributes way more than just statistics and performances on a soccer field — he is integral to something Chelsea has seemingly lost over the past few seasons under Jose Mourinho: Leadership in the locker room.
The last time David Luiz was at Chelsea he exuded leadership and positivity. Not just a fan favorite —he is a man who can galvanize, lead, and teach. Not to mention that the Brazilian defender is the only Chelsea player in recent memory who has displayed the capability to be John Terry’s successor as Chelsea captain.
Never has somebody become so integral to a team so quickly as David Luiz did with Chelsea in his first stint. When he left, it felt like a part of Chelsea left with him — that much is undeniable for those close to the club.
David Luiz has a reputation for being erratic, eccentric, unpredictable and unreliable. This reputation for being erratic led to many suggesting he might be suited more to a midfield role than a defensive one. While there may be some truth to this Luiz is a proven winner, proven leader, and under the right leadership he can be a consistently world-class player.
Under Antonio Conte’s leadership he will become more defensively disciplined, and we will see just how good Luiz has always had the potential to be. Just make sure to expect the occasional marauding dribble, and 40-yard golazo while you’re at it.
Luiz himself is thrilled to be back. He’s a born winner, and he’s back in London to win once again.
“I’ve very happy to be here again” the 29 year old told Chelsea TV.
“It’s fantastic to have this second opportunity to play for this club. I love this club so that’s why I am here. Let’s try to continue the nice history with a lot of joy and try to get success… It will be an amazing opportunity to show to the fans again how I love this club and how I love to play for this club. I cannot wait to wear the shirt and play at Stamford Bridge again” the Champions League winner said.
Just one thing eluded Luiz during his three and a half year stint at Chelsea before being whisked away to Paris Saint Germain — the Premier League title — and he is hungry to rectify that.
“This is the past. We need to win again. I have the hunger to win,” boasted Luiz to Chelsea TV before adding “Of course I want to win the Premier League and of course I want to win all the titles again. I am here because I have ambition to play for a big club, and when you play for a big club you need to think about winning every single match.”
The original “geezer” signed off to Chelsea TV with this message: ‘I’m back, I cannot wait to see you guys and to give back what you guys gave to me in the first period I was here. Let’s enjoy!’
The second era of David Luiz is about to commence at Stamford Bridge, and it is going to be very, very special. The bottom line? David Luiz is a proven commodity in the Premier League and in the Champions League. To Chelsea’s board and Antonio Conte — that is priceless.
