In news that is sure to disappoint Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, one of his senior first team players has hinted at a move away from the Emirates Stadium.
As the Spaniard tries to build a team capable of winning trophies again, he needs to keep a core of his best players at the club, but David Luiz appears to want a return to Portugal.
“I always said that I would like to end my career at Benfica. In football everything changes, what is true today, tomorrow is a lie, but my feeling is not!” Luiz said, cited by the Daily Star.
“I love Benfica. My dream is to step on the pitch of Estadio da Luz in their colours.
“For all that I lived and felt, for what Benfica is in my life and in my history, for everything, Benfica is bigger than any player.”
Although he’s getting no younger, Luiz clearly still has a lot to offer. Wholesale changes arguably don’t work at football clubs, and to that end, Arteta will almost certainly want to keep players with experience at the club.
He could well be fighting a losing battle with the centre-back, however.
Even if the Gunners were to break their practice of only offering short-term deals to players over 30, it doesn’t appear that money is the prime motivator for Luiz on this particular occasion.
A genuine love for another place of work isn’t something you can or should stand in the way of either.