Should Chelsea re-sign David Luiz?

Chelsea are reportedly attempting to re-sign Brazilian international defender David Luiz

According to Sky Sports, Chelsea have launched a £30million-plus bid to re-sign former centre-back David Luiz from French big spenders PSG.

The Brazilian international left the Blues for the French capital in 2014 for a fee of around £50million.

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte is believed to be looking to sign a new centre-back and it seems the Italian has turned his attentions to Sideshow Bob lookalike Luiz with the transfer deadline looming close at 11PM on Wednesday.

The news set receives a mixed reaction with fans

Luiz seems to be Mr Marmite, as people seem to love him or loathe him. His potential return has provoked a mixed reaction from Chelsea fans on social media. It is understandable considering he is such an unpredictable player.

One thing that is certain is that the majority of Blues fans seemed very happy when the club managed to get £50million from his sale two years ago.

On his day he can be a commanding all-action centre-back, who has excellent tackling skills and decent pace. However, he can also be a major liability. He has a tendency to lose concentration and make forward runs when he probably should maintain his position.

The fact that he was playing as a defensive midfielder at one point illustrated the fact he can take the team forward with his ability to drive forward. However, it also showed that his manager did not trust him to maintain his concentration and position in the heart of defence.

Luiz is an entertainer, but his defensive ability has been questioned time and time again for club and country. Re-signing him would certainly be a gamble from Conte.

Conte attempting to add to his centre-backs

Chelsea boss Conte is obviously looking at his centre-back options and looking to ahem improve them by signing Luiz. His current first-choice pair John Terry and Gary Cahill have served the club well in recent years.

The former-England international and current England international may be a solid pair, but one thing that they lack is pace, most of the other centre-back attributes are there. The Blues had signed the perfect protégé to Terry in young French centre-back Kurt Zouma, who has immense promise.

Unfortunately, the former-Saint Etienne youngster is currently sidelined with a knee injury, though his return is believed to be imminent. Beyond that the Blues have very little central defensive cover, with Branislav Ivanovic able to play in the centre and USA international Matt Miazga not looking like a Premier League player just yet.

Chelsea have been circling Napoli centre-back Kalidou Koulibaly and have been rebuffed in their attempts to sign AC Milan’s Italian international Alessio Romagnoli. It seems that in desperation Conte has looked in the direction of the French capital and thought ‘Luiz might be worth the gamble’.

Confidence in Antonio Conte

I have to admit I really like Conte. He comes across as a fiery and slightly nutty character, but he is a winner. He proved that in his tenure at Juventus. His Chelsea team are currently odds of 9/2 to win the Premier League title, which makes them third favourites behind Manchester City and United in the betting.

Not much has changed in that respect. Chelsea fans will have confidence in their new Italian boss to do what is best for the Blues and their title ambitions. David Luiz can enthral and frustrate in equal measures.

For me, he is not a world-class centre-back, but he can be a very good footballer. Conte already has two very solid centre-backs in Cahill and Terry. Maybe he wants to make life slightly more interesting for Blues fans this season by bringing in Luiz. He definitely offers entertainment value.

I like David Luiz for his free spirit, but as a manager, he would you pulling your hair out. I am sure he had the same effect on some Chelsea fans. Whether the Blues do re-sign Luiz before the transfer deadline today remains to be seen, but if he does return then you can be sure that life will be very interesting at Chelsea, one way or another.

Should Chelsea re-sign David Luiz?