Frank Lampard has just had his first official prematch press conference as Chelsea manager, and there was one obvious topic of conversation: David Luiz.
The Brazilian defender looked set to be a key player for the Blues this season, but in the space of 24 hours from when the rumour first appeared, he had vanished and joined rivals Arsenal.
Nobody saw that coming, and everyone wanted more details on what had actually happened. Lampard was happy to oblige, with his quotes carried here by Nizaar Kinsella of Goal.com:
Lampard on £8m Luiz sale: "We had some honest conversations over the last week and the conclusion of that was he is gone. It is an area of the pitch where we have competition. I don't have numbers ones or twos. They have to fight for that shirt." #CFC
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) August 9, 2019
Lampard on Luiz leaving: "I wish him the best, because he has been a big part of our history." He says there weren't fallouts or strikes, just honest conversations. #CFC
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) August 9, 2019
Lampard on Luiz leaving: "I wish him the best, because he has been a big part of our history." He says there weren't fallouts or strikes, just honest conversations. #CFC
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) August 9, 2019
Lampard on Luiz missing training: "The day David didn't train was a decision that I made because it was clear the way we were going." #CFC
— Nizaar Kinsella (@NizaarKinsella) August 9, 2019
So that clears up a lot of things. Luiz did indeed miss training – but that was Lampard’s decision, not a “strike” from the defender. The manager also denied that there were any “fallouts”.
It all sounds like Lampard failed to promise Luiz a spot in the first team, and the former Benfica man didn’t like the sound of fighting for a first team spot. Disappointing, for sure; but not as disruptive as the spectacular arguments behind the scenes that some had imagined.
