#2 David Luiz – £30 Million
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Chelsea spent all summer looking for a long-term successor to John Terry, only to be foiled repeatedly. Their first choice target, Antonio Rudiger suffered an ACL injury forcing them to shift their focus elsewhere. The Blues then spent the majority of the summer chasing Napoli’s Kalidou Koulibaly, but they were unable to persuade the obstinate Aurelio de Laurentiis to sell another key asset.
Chelsea also tried to sign Milan’s starlet Alessio Romagnoli and Lazio’s Dutch international Stefan De Vrij towards the end, but both Italian clubs refused to sell because of a lack of time to find a suitable replacement. The latter would have been the optimal signing for Chelsea because of his experience and success in a back three.
With their other options exhausted, the Blues were forced to bring David Luiz back to Stamford Bridge as a stopgap. However, the Brazilian has slotted into Conte’s system seamlessly and silenced his critics in the club and the media.
His position, in the middle of a back three, has forced him to cover for his teammates and give them confidence and direction. These added duties have turned him into one of the pillars of a defence that has conceded only two goals in its last 9 games.
Despite his success so far, there are sceptics who still believe that he is still an accident waiting to happen.
Standout Performance
His best performance this season was against City at the Etihad. When all of Chelsea’s other defenders were stretched, Luiz stayed calm and kept the ship afloat.
He not only swept up for Cahill and Azpilicueta, but he also stepped out with the ball and started attacks for Chelsea at a time when they could muster precious few. His performance in this game was reminiscent of Bonucci in many ways.
Grade: B+
