Chelsea News: Why Frank Lampard sold David Luiz to London rivals Arsenal
What's the story?
It has been revealed that Chelsea boss Frank Lampard sanctioned the sale of Brazilian defender David Luiz after the latter chose to ignore the gaffer's tactics in a pre-season friendly.
In case you didn't know..
Arsenal reached an agreement with the Blues for Luiz for £8 million last month. The centre-back signed a two-year contract with the Gunners which will keep him at the Emirates until June 2021.
Luiz becomes Arsenal's fifth major signing this summer followed by Nicolas Pepe from Lille, William Saliba from St. Etienne, Kieran Tierney from Celtic and Dani Ceballos on loan from Real Madrid.
The 32-year-old had recently signed a new contract with Chelsea in the first quarter of the year, and thus the move came as a shock to the Chelsea fanbase. Also, the Europa League champions are facing a transfer ban currently.
Luiz won the Champions League (2012) and Europa League (2013) with Chelsea before moving to Paris Saint-Germain. The defender rejoined the Blues back in 2016.
The heart of the matter...
According to reports from The Athletic, Luiz's shocking transfer to Arsenal comes against the backdrop of him exchanging some harsh words with new boss Frank Lampard after the pre-season friendly against Red Bull Salzburg.
Apparently, Lampard wanted to instill a game plan of playing out from the back, but David Luiz delivered too many long balls from his deep defensive position for the Chelsea forwards to fetch. This annoyed Lampard who confronted Luiz in the dressing room post the fixture.
The new Chelsea manager made his point clear when he dropped Luiz in the next and last pre-season friendly against Borussia Monchengladbach.
The Brazilian's agent Kia Joorabchian pointed out a prospective move to Arsenal for his client, as the player struggled with concerns regarding his playing time under Lampard. Joorabchian is known for his proactive gestures when his clients are unsettled.
In a press conference post the departure of Luiz to Arsenal, Lampard was questioned about the outgoing defender. The player turned manager insisted that the 'parting was amicable' and that 'honest conversations' were held which led to the transfer.
What's next?
Luiz's departure hasn't gone too well for the Blues as the club has had defensive problems in probably every fixture that they have played since.
Andreas Christensen and Kurt Zouma started the first few games as the two central defenders, but the Dane was dropped for Fikayo Tomori, who was Derby County's Player of the Season last year under the same manager.
Chelsea await the recovery of Antonio Rudiger who was the team's first-choice centre-back last season.