Following his birthday, it’s time to look at the impact of David Luiz, who has made a superb impact at Arsenal despite his short time with the club.
The Brazilian joined the club back during the summer of 2019 after the Europa League final defeat to Chelsea, his former team. It was for a modest £8m and a one-year contract and after a sticky start to life in N5, his performances in our run to FA Cup glory show his monstrous impact thus far.
That’s not to say there haven’t been a few bumps in the road along the way. There was that disastrous display away to Manchester City, where Luiz made a mistake for the opening goal before getting sent off and conceding a penalty.
However, it’s events this season that has really shone a light on how important the now 34-year-old is to the Gunners in their search for a return to the Champions League.
The Brazil international is currently out with a knee injury, and in his absence, Arteta has entrusted Rob Holding, Gabriel Magalhaes and Pablo Marit to fill the void. Whilst there haven’t been many poor performances, bar the home clash with Liverpool, the trio have shown their limitations in replacing their colleague.
Luiz has been renowned for being a long-pass specialist ever since his first spell with Chelsea. The star’s ability to pick a pass over the top of opposing defences is unmatched by any one of Arsenal’s other three defenders, making him an invaluable asset.
With his birthday having gone, it’s worth remembering how valuable the South American is as Arsenal look to end their season on a high.
In other news, one ace has returned to light training ahead of the Everton clash.
