Chelsea: David Luiz extension jabs at the past and crimps the future

Chelsea have had many opportunities to give a multi-year contracts to players over 30. By breaking precedent for David Luiz, they found a way to undercut their past and their future.

Chelsea’s “one year contract for players over 30” rule was always a stupid rule. It was stupid when it was applied to John Terry, Ashley Cole and Didier Drogba, and it was stupid when applied to Petr Cech, Frank Lampard and Michael Ballack. The rule was stupid when it stood in the way of signing 30- or 31-year old players who wanted more than a one-year contract. And it would have been a stupid reason not to sign David Luiz for two years.

We should all celebrate the de facto end of this idiotic rule. We should also be appalled Chelsea chose to end it for David Luiz.

Chelsea do not need a one-size-fits all blanket rule to justify not extending David Luiz. They only need to watch Luka Jovic’s goal in Thursday’s game.

Or if that somehow isn’t enough, a short time later when Chelsea had a corner kick, and David Luiz was the last Chelsea player to leave the Eintracht Frankfurt box as the German side started a counter-attack. The last three seasons have provided dozens of such moments but, such is the charmed life of the Terwilliger twin, all anyone ever cares to remember are things like the goal line clearance against Frankfurt, his 2016/17 goal against Liverpool and his passes this season in the vacuum left by Jorginho.

Compared to any other centre-back who could have been in the Chelsea side, he was at the root of more goals and chances conceded than prevented or scored.

The timing of the Luiz announcement was another gratuitous insult to one of those other centre-backs, Gary Cahill. His treatment this season will be the subject of numerous how-not-to case studies in management (football or otherwise), culminating in his late run-out for an ovation during the home finale and then the tease of his inclusion in the squad against Eintracht Frankfurt. Again, why put a centre-back on the bench if you are not prepared to use him when a centre-back comes off injured?

Cahill is the sort of player who, under a different coach but same management, would have been in the same place as Luiz but denied a two-year extension. Cahill’s name would appear alongside those in the beginning of this piece: reliable, loyal leaders who have won every trophy but have now passed an arbitrary threshold of chronology.

Leaders. Among the straws grasped by Luiz apologists and Sarri stooges yesterday was Luiz’s supposed leadership ability. Do not confuse longevity with leadership. When you’ve been around the world long enough you’ll realize that the person who has been at one place the longest is rarely the person you want to rely upon.

Here’s an easy test of determining if someone is a leader. If they have ever used social media to passive-aggressively jab at a colleague, peer or boss, they are not a leader. David Luiz failed that test just over one year ago.

Aside from Cahill, Chelsea let Cesc Fabregas leave this season. Fabregas is a leader, and would have been a worthy over-30 player to break the rule. Fabregas’ leadership ability was not enough to keep him in the squad, though, for the same reasons that Luiz’s lack of leadership – nay, maturity – is no obstacle to him being around for the next two years: the vacuous alignment to Maurizio Sarri’s stringent, superficial methods.

At the other end of the age spectrum, Luiz’s extension will ripple through the squad and loan army. Luiz’s extension under Maurizio Sarri all but guarantees he will remain one of Chelsea’s starting centrebacks in the best XI. This will not be acceptable to Andreas Christensen, whose father-agent was already looking for a way out in January. Both Christensen’s know that Christensen fils should be starting in a top club in a top league. If Chelsea won’t, someone else will, and the Danish family will make it happen.

Kurt Zouma will also almost certainly push for a permanent transfer. He will not want to be any further into his mid-20’s without having a forever home, but he will likely not accept being no higher than third in Sarri’s depth chart.

Ethan Ampadu will also want a loan. He may want a transfer after the way his trajectory hit the wall this year, but Chelsea will summarily deny any such request and will send him on a loan tour for a few years. If Derby County do not come up to the Premier League, perhaps he can partner Fikayo Tomori – another young centre-back who had a chance until Friday – and learn from Frank Lampard.

Under normal circumstances, Ampadu and Tomori could accept being fourth or fifth on Chelsea’s centreback depth chart. But fourth or fifth under Maurizio Sarri means a handful of minutes in the early rounds of domestic cups, if that. After Ampadu’s season at Chelsea last year and his performances for Wales and Tomori’s Player of the Season turn at Derby County, neither should accept anything less than 30 appearances in all competitions next season.

And all this assumes Chelsea have the transfer ban in place and do not purchase any new centrebacks. If the club can buy, we might be inserting Alessio Romagnoli, Daniele Rugani or someone else from Empoli / Napoli into these conversations.

Again, under normal circumstances, the two-year extension for Luiz would come on the terms that he would not block the line of succession, that he will play the lesser competitions and mentor and support those coming up. Chelsea had this with John Terry under Antonio Conte. But Luiz is no John Terry and Maurizio Sarri is no Antonio Conte.

Chelsea were overdue to end their insipid “over 30” rule. They could have done it in a way that communicated the right message throughout the club. Instead, they further disrespected their past while mortgaging their future.