Brazilian pledges future to Chelsea

 

David Luiz has praised Maurizio Sarri’s appointment as Chelsea manager and denied angling for a move away from the club.

 

The Brazil international dropped out of favour under Antonio Conte last season and looked destined to leave Chelsea this summer.

 

Luiz was linked with a move to Napoli before Chelsea prised Sarri away from the Serie A side but the 31-year-old feels re-born again under the Italian.

 

“I came back to Chelsea to stay,” Luiz told Sky Sports. “When I took my decision to come back here from Paris it was to win the Premier League and do something again with Chelsea, so I am very happy here.

 

“I love Sarri’s philosophy. We play high, with a lot of possession in a technical way. He’s trying to help us every single day to learn quickly his philosophy.

 

“A new philosophy always takes time. But it also depends on us. If we’re dedicated every day and doing things every single day in training, we’re trying to learn quickly.”

 

Brazilian pledges future to Chelsea

 

Chelsea pulled off a shock £30m deal to re-sign Luiz from Paris Saint-Germain in 2016 and the veteran defender was answered his critics in stunning fashion during his first campaign.

 

Luiz played an integral part in Chelsea’s shock Premier League title-winning campaign but became a forgotten man last term after falling out with Conte.

 

Since returning to Stamford Bridge, Chelsea have a far superior win ratio in the Premier League when Luiz has started (73.8%) compared to when he has not featured from the off (58.8%).