Chelsea defender pledges future to Blues despite £30m exit links

David Luiz has dropped a strong hint that he will stay at Chelsea this season, after complimenting new head coach Maurizio Sarri.

Luiz has been linked with a move away from Stamford Bridge, namely to Sarri’s former club Napoli, but he has now been won over by Chelsea’s new playing style under the 59-year-old coach.

Luiz said: “I love this philosophy. We play high, with a lot of possession of the ball in a technical way. He’s trying to help us every single day, double sessions, to learn quickly his philosophy.

“Play from the back, build from the back, try to help the guys, try to be in line. A new philosophy always takes time. We are trying to learn quickly.”

Brazilian defender Luiz, 31, re-joined Chelsea from PSG in 2016, in the same summer that Antonio Conte arrived as coach. The Blues adapted quickly to Conte’s new methods, and now the squad will have to react to fresh tactics again.

Confirming his future is with Sarri’s side, Luiz said: “When I took my decision to come back here from Paris it was to win the Premier League and to do something again with Chelsea. I came back to stay here.”

Luiz also confirmed he is now at “100%” after spending the majority of last season on the sidelines. He only played 10 times in the Premier League last season, compared to 33 times in Chelsea’s 2016-17 title-winning campaign.

He was linked with Arsenal earlier in the transfer window.

 

Fancy the latest news on the Blues? Like our dedicated Chelsea Facebook page to get it straight to your timeline