Was David Luiz a Smart Buy From PSG?

During the transfer windows, fans must keep their minds open and organize the good media from the bad. With rumors, real news and predictions all colliding all at once its hard to formulate what the final result will be for certain teams.This summer, the transfer window became even more enticing with the World Cup as an outlet for emerging talent.

In the case of Paris St Germain, Financial Fair Play has haunted them since being fined 60 million pounds for over spending. Even in the wake of the fine, the signings of that summer were successful. Yet this summer, more rumors about players being sold than bought came upon the Parisiens as their spending this year has been closely monitored by UEFA. It leaves fans wondering what the wealthy clubs summer moves and exits could be.

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And with no initial buzz came the news of David Luiz joining the Capital club. A surprising move no doubt, but the money which was dished out for him was the greatest shock of all. A record price tag of 50 million pounds from Chelsea FC. Twice the amount Chelsea paid for the defender in 2011 from Benefica and in many peoples opinion, an absolutely ludicrous fee. According to president Nassar Al Khelafi “David Luiz is the best defender in the world” and that’s where he is probably wrong. Paris already have, who many would agree on, the best defender in the world in Thiago Silva. A man who was acquired in a group transfer from AC Milan in 2012 for a greater value. So the big question remains, why did Paris St Germain dish out such an extensive amount of money for the 27 year old?

June 28, 2014; Belo Horizonte, BRAZIL; Brazil player David Luiz celebrates after converting a penalty kick against Chile during the round of sixteen match in the 2014 World Cup at Estadio Mineirao. Mandatory Credit: Tim Groothuis/Witters Sport via USA TODAY Sports

It’s sometimes hard to believe that David Luiz is a defender, most commonly a centre back. The reason for this is his constant tendency to be out of position. If a fan who wouldn’t commonly tune in to Chelsea games watch David on the pitch they could mistake him for a defensive midfielder. And in Paris’ case, they do not need another defensive midfielder as Thiago Motto adheres to this role best. The efforts that the Brazilian makes to push forward is admirable and smart; especially on an attacking side such as Chelsea. But usually, when Luiz is caught off position, especially in the instance of a match against teams with the similar counter attacking (like during Brazil’s dreaded World Cup exit), his pace is not great enough to redeem his clumsy mishaps. David is the kind of player who wants to work hard, and sometimes too hard. And there are two sides to this coin. He plays with heart. So much heart that you can’t help but think that he is probably one of the best team players out there; constantly cleaning up the midfield, defending and even attacking.

Yet, at the same time he puts himself in very awkward positions. The kind of positions that a young defender would put himself in. And this cannot be an excuse as Luiz is a very experienced defender who has played for 3 different clubs, in 3 different countries including one of the best in the world, England. England, to many is the greatest league in the world because of its level of competitiveness. Any team, sitting on any end of the table, on any given day can offer a thrilling result. The quality of teams as a whole, especially the defense are some of the hardest to score past. Thats why we see players like Luiz Suarez score 31 goals in England in 2013/2014, compared to Messi score 46 in La Liga in 2012/2013.

So shouldn’t Luiz’ act be cleaned up after playing close to 4 years in the Premier League? This idea clearly wasn’t so when his performance for Brazil during the 2014 World Cup came under tough scrutiny. Unfortunately for Luiz and the squad,captain Thiago Silva suffered an injury before their semi final showdown against juggernauts Germany. In loosing Silva, Brazil lost leadership and strength in the back. Silva is like the centre back with a crystal ball in that way. But without him during this match, not only did the Luiz suffer, the entire defense suffered. The world had never seen a team so defeated, even before the match was over. The clumsiness of Luiz was blatantly on display as his inability to be a strong defender became clear. Now as he plays in Ligue 1, The worry is this particular situation could arise again as Silva is now sidelined. According to Stan Collymore of Bleacher Report the Brazilian’s worth declined significantly during his World Cup campaign, and many can also agree.

Jun 12, 2014; Sao Paulo, BRAZIL; Brazil defender David Luiz (4) against Croatia in the opening game of the 2014 World Cup at Arena Corinthians. Brazil defeated Croatia 3-1. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Luiz does have some positive skills though. His free kick skills are outstanding for a player of his position. Chelsea relied on him often to curl the ball into the back of net. His passing to formulate an attack far up the pitch is also admirable. And as mentioned before, he does work extremely hard for his club. He understands the pressure of playing at a top-level, and now with an élite club whose sole focus is to win the Champions League (once and for all!) this attitude is a must. So in this light, his attitude can carry his price tag a long way. I just hope for the sake of Paris’ bank account, “big dreams” and reputation as the big club on campus, that he can continue to integrate his positivity and motivation to help his club win.

If Paris wanted to buy heart they got it. Yet, it is hard to tell at this stage in the season, but if my predictions are correct, Luiz may end up being a great transfer. Just not worth 50 million.

Revons Plus Grand!

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Was David Luiz A Smart Buy For Paris St Germain?

By Lauren Maharaj | Aug 26, 2014