Arsenal supporters may be surprised to learn that one of their current stars is already pitching for a move back to one of his former clubs.
It’s been nine years since David Luiz played for Benfica, but if his latest words are anything to go by, he can’t wait to return to the Portuguese outfit.
“I want to wear the Benfica shirt again and feel that sensation,” Luiz said in an interview with SporTV and reported by the Daily Mirror. “The day I come back to the Estadio da Luz it is going to be very special, one of the greatest feelings of my life.”
An acquired taste where his defending is concerned, Luiz has nevertheless often impressed at Paris Saint-Germain, Chelsea and Arsenal. What he sometimes lacks in his defensive attributes, he more than makes up for with a supplementary attacking prowess and excellence from dead-ball situations.
It’s not clear what Mikel Arteta will make of his centre-back’s desire to return to Portugal, but Luiz’s current Arsenal deal runs until the end of the 2020/21 season in any event.
Given his age – Luiz is 33 – it’s entirely possible that the Gunners will allow him to run down his contract and allow him to move on a free, rather than commanding a fee for him.