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David Luiz Reportedly Wants New Chelsea Contract After Rejecting Offer from CSL
November 30, 2018
David Luiz is reportedly hoping for a new contract at Chelsea and has turned down an offer from the Chinese Super League because of his desire to remain at Stamford Bridge.
Marcus Alves of UOL Esporte (h/t Sport Witness' Lucas Sposito) reported Luiz, who is in the final year of his deal, is happy at Chelsea and settled in London.
Luiz's camp recently spent time in China and received an approach regarding him, but he does not want to go anywhere.
In his second stint at Chelsea, Luiz is said to be prepared to do what it takes to earn a new contract and accept the Blues' policy of only offering one-year extensions to players over the age of 30. Luiz will turn 32 in April.
After a difficult time under Antonio Conte last season, in which he started just nine Premier League matches, Luiz has enjoyed a revival under manager Maurizio Sarri and has played every minute of their campaign in the English top flight.
The Brazilian's technical ability and desire to bring the ball out from the back makes him a natural fit in the latter's system, and he began the campaign in good form.
However, the centre-back has been a liability defensively, and he offered a stark reminder of that in Chelsea's 3-1 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur last Sunday, as CalcioLand's Alex Goldberg noted:
Luiz was vulnerable throughout and was particularly at fault for Spurs' second and third goals, per ESPN FC's Liam Twomey and Simon Johnson of the Evening Standard:
The Blues won't be in a rush to hand him an extension on the back of that performance, but if he remains an important part of Sarri's plans, it's likely they will grant his wish and hand him another year.
That said, Luiz's showing against Spurs should serve as a reminder that 22-year-old Andreas Christensen, who hasn't featured in the Premier League at all this season, should perhaps be given a chance. The Dane started in Thursday's Europa League match against PAOK and helped Chelsea keep a clean sheet in a 4-0 home victory.
There's no harm in keeping Luiz if Sarri can make use of him, but the Blues shouldn't keep persisting with him at the expense of a promising younger talent if he isn't justifying his place.
If nothing else, a new deal would also give them the option of recouping a fee for him in the summer rather than losing him for nothing.