David Luiz has revealed that he left Chelsea this summer due to having different a different football philospohy to incoming manager Frank Lampard.
The defender spent six years during two spells at the London club, the first of which as a teammate of Lampard's, but decided to end his time there after a conversation with the now-manager.
'Me and Lampard, we had honest conversations. Man to man, me and him,' the 32-year-old centre-half told The Telegraph.
'His ideas of football were different to mine. We just agreed: 'OK, we move on'. In an honest way, in a mature way.
'We played together, we won together. We won the Champions League, the Europa League, everything together. It was done in a mature way.'
The flamboyant defender also revelealed that he bought into Unai Emery's vision at Arsenal which pursuaded him to join the North London club.
He added: 'The more you win, the more you believe, the more it becomes easier.
'It starts to become automatic. You know what you have to do, you know the mentality. It is not about the beginning, it is about the end.
'Last season everybody was killing Chelsea, killing (Maurizio) Sarri. In the end, we won a title. Everybody was speaking about other clubs and in the end they did not win anything. It is about the end.
Luiz is still settling into life at the Emirates Stadium but feels the club is capable of the success that the fans have been deprived of in recent years.
'Arsenal was always a big club. The club is always going to be big. Of course, in the last few years, because the club is so big everybody expects more titles. This is natural.
'I came here because I see they have the potential to do that, to fight for that. This is my mentality, this is my ambition, this is what I want in this club.
'We have the potential. We have talented players, experienced players, a team with quality, a club where they give us all the conditions to fight. We have amazing support. What more do we need?
GeebabaGodfrey
359
Two things contributed to David Luiz leaving Chelsea fc; 1).Ego & Pride : He felt because he played alongside Frankie so it would sound ridiculous taking instructions from him. Willian also felt same way initially but later adjusted & started seeing Frankie & his philosophy from a positive angle. 2). Fear factor : He knew quite alright that age is not on his side & the quick pressing/quick recovery of the ball tactics currently being used by Frankie will expose him a great deal@ the back. The retention of Zouma & Tomori also made him know his days are numbered because they are very young & flexible. He felt he can't compete with them for space @ the back. Above all, he knows he is a calamitous defender & Chelsea fans won't forgive him if he continues to make silly mistakes@ the back just as he is doing in Arsenal fc. Chelsea is fine without Luiz, we have moved on, let him also move on & focus on his new assignment@ Arsenal fc. I wish him well.
Poyblrty
307
He thought hes the best defender we have. even though before the talks of the leave all Chelsea fans knew he cant be trusted as a regular center back (which is what he wanted) because he wasnt consistant and made alot of mistakes and was not a challenge for opposition strikers. Lampard knew this the same way as all Chelsea fans. so he told him that and instead Luiz decided to leave the club that was honest with him to a bitter rival club. arsenal now sits below Chelsea even with the transfer ban and our shortage of defenders. all Chelsea defenders have performed better than luiz this season. I dont want to speak for all chelsea fans but Luiz lost blue hearts and will not be remembered at Stamford bridge
Handsome Mike
300
Lampard wanted Luiz to leave and yet fans hate Luiz for leaving?..Did you hate Peter Czech this much? You lots condemn Luiz but every successful coach in Chelsea selected him, he has been undroppable in our team. So cut off the "he is not a good defender" brouhaha..He is a talented footballer who has been at the top throughout his career. He left because Lampard told him his plans ;Luiz you ain't in my plans. Arsenal popped up immediately, and he grabbed the opportunity to continue in top level football just like Peter Czech did. Sometimes we should slow down with our emotions and think critically.