Former Arsenal player and current tactics analyst Adrian Clarke has recently commented on Arsenal centre-back David Luiz, concentrating on the issues the player has been suffering at the club, as well as his future in north London.
Since moving to Arsenal from Chelsea for a fee of £7.83m last summer, Luiz, who is valued at £10.8 million (Transfermarkt), has not enjoyed his best form by any stretch of the imagination, as, over his 26 appearances in the Premier League for the Gunners, the Brazilian international has averaged a WhoScored match rating of just 6.57/10.
This poor rating is likely down to the fact that Luiz has averaged just one tackle and one interception per game, as well as committing an average of 0.9 fouls per game, in addition to receiving two red cards and giving away a remarkable four penalties so far this season – the joint-most in a single Premier League campaign.
The latest of his poor performances came on Wednesday evening, as Arsenal lost 3-0 to Manchester City, when Luiz became the first player since Carl Jenkinson in 2015 to be sent off, concede a penalty and commit an error leading to an opposition goal in a Premier League match, all of which contributed to his dismal WhoScored match rating of 3.81.
In reaction to his performance, Clarke claimed in the most recent episode of the Football Writers Podcast that Luiz’s display against City was one of the worst substitute performances he can remember in the Premier League, before going on to state that Arsenal would be better off spending their money elsewhere rather than on the defender’s wages.
He said: “It was a calamitous performance. And we all saw what happened, he just didn’t get himself in the right positions. His decision-making at crucial moments was poor. And yeah, it’s hard to see him regaining trust, certainly with the fans. I think that a lot of them are sort of over it now, with him.
“For the money that he commands in salary, they’d probably be better off investing it in someone young, hungry, and someone that can be more reliable over a period of time. And yeah, I’m sure there are some good candidates out there. He was playing okay before the break, he was getting better. But this was one of the worst substitute performances I can remember in the Premier League.”
TIF Thoughts…
Clarke could be correct to point out that it is hard to see Luiz regaining the support of Arsenal fans, as receiving two red cards and giving away four penalties over just 26 Premier League matches is not exactly the kind of form that inspires trust, particularly from a defender.
Should Arsenal offer David Luiz a contract extension?
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It is also agreeable that Arsenal would likely be better off investing the money they spend on Luiz in a younger and more hungry prospect, and it could be argued that now is the perfect time to do so, as it is hardly imaginable that a youth prospect could fare much worse than Luiz is in the Gunners backline at present.