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David Luiz: Another Chelsea signing in desperation

By Scott Brant

PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 21: David Luiz of Paris Saint-Germain in action during the French Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Metz at Parc des Princes on August 21, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE - AUGUST 21: David Luiz of Paris Saint-Germain in action during the French Ligue 1 match between Paris Saint-Germain and FC Metz at Parc des Princes on August 21, 2016 in Paris, France. (Photo by Xavier Laine/Getty Images) /
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Is David Luiz another desperate signing at the end of a summer transfer window that saw Chelsea miss out on all its main targets? It’s hard to believe that he was plan A, B, or C.

I can’t help but ask myself this question after every mention of David Luiz’s name since his homecoming. Luiz plays with a passion that is sometimes positive and sometimes negative, but is always must-see television. The defender leaves it all on the pitch. With his laid-back attitude off the pitch, and his fierce temper on it, he is a fan favorite.

However, how desperate was this move?

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Chelsea started the transfer window out pretty solid. Signing N’Golo Kante was a steal and will probably pan out as the best transfer of the summer across the Premier League. What he does for the team, and what they paid for his signature – it’s an absolute steal.

Michy Batshuayi is very productive. He has already shown this season that he is filled with potential and capable of meeting the high expectations set at Stamford Bridge.

After those two, deal after deal fell through. It quickly became evident that finding center-backs and a fullback would be difficult. Marcos Alonso was somewhat of a last-minute panic signing – the plan C if you will. Chelsea was throwing money at players who would predominantly feature on the bench, if not out on loan.

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David Luiz, who fell out of favor with Jose Mourinho, went to Paris Saint-Germain for an absurd sum because the Portuguese determined he lacked defensive ability.

Luiz is very good with the ball at his feet. The transfer to Ligue One made sense, given that you don’t have to defend much on a team like PSG. PSG would typically win 36 of 38 matches and dominate each one from start to end. In that environment, Luiz had no reason to expand his defensive abilities.

All of which comes back to: why David Luiz? For £38 million. Is it because Nemanja Matic and Kante are in front of him so it’s a risk worth taking? Or is Roman Abramovich simply bringing back one of his favorites that Mourinho sent packing?

Luiz has played in midfield for a decent stretch, but this is not an option for the Blues. The Chelsea midfield is pretty crowded, and Cesc Fabregas struggles to get in the starting XI.

The Brazilian is not solid enough to replace any of the current defensive options, and he is certainly not a long term solution. All roads point to desperation, a recurring theme for Chelsea since the nucleus that took the Blue to new heights slowly fractured.

The major problem with signing David Luiz is he causes more problems than solutions. With John Terry likely on his last one-year contract and Gary Cahill backing off every approaching attacker, Kurt Zouma will have a lot of work ahead of him once he returns.

One of Zouma’s new tasks will involve constantly watching Luiz’s back and correcting his mishaps. Chelsea supporters will hope for the best, but like the other defenders playing alongside Luiz, they have to prepare for the worst.

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