With three wins in three games, Conte must be happy with the way his team has performed till now. He couldn’t have asked for a better start to his Chelsea tenure following his Italian national team’s performance in this summer’s European Championship. The Italian manager brought in N’Golo Kante, Michy Batshuayi, and Marcos Alonso but the transfer that raised the most eyebrows was the deadline day capture of David Luiz from PSG. The Brazilian international moved to the French club in 2014 for a world record transfer fee of £50 million (for a defender), however, with no other real option available in their price range, Conte decided to bring back the adventurous centre-back.
His reputation for reckless play and erratic decision-making often makes him the target for football pundits but there is no doubting the fact that the 29-year-old has the perfect experience to become the ideal solution to Chelsea’s problems. Conte was looking to bring in a central defender all summer and even made contacts with a couple of them in Italy but nothing was concertized till the final day, hence Luiz was brought in. The fact that Cahill and Terry were the only two fit senior centre-backs in the squad, given that Zouma is still nursing a long-term injury would have led to a lot of concerns in Conte’s mind, therefore a signing was essential in this region.
David Luiz arrived at the Stamford Bridge back in January 2011 from the Portuguese side Benfica. He was quick in cementing his place in the starting XI as he finished the season with 12 Premier league appearances and two goals. Soon after his arrival, the Brazilian managed to create a special place in the hearts of the Chelsea supporters. There is no doubting the fact that Luiz does make erratic decisions at times but then he carries the quality and experience that very few defenders in the world have right now and especially at that price. He will always be fondly remembered for his courageous performance in the 2012 Champions League final, where he played through the pain of a hamstring injury.
The arrival of Luiz will also give Conte to try out a three-man defense line, something he made pretty successful during his time with Juventus and the Italian national team. Similarly, the purchase of Alonso will give Conte the option to use Azpilicueta and him in the wing-back positions. The Brazilian comes with a trophy cabinet which is matched just by very few players in the world. The winner of Champions League, Europa League, and FA Cup will inject the much-needed winning mentality into the side, whose confidence took a beating last season. During his time in France, Luiz swept the domestic treble two years running.
The Brazilian is a passionate player, who brings a lot of emotions into the game. His arrival will definitely help Conte give balance to his Chelsea squad.