Arsenal must walk away. He is too high risk

IF I was at Arsenal and had the ear of Unai Emery, I would be advising my manager not to sign David Luiz. Walk away from this deal. This is not the defender for you. It’s too high risk. Yes, Arsenal want a centre back, but is Luiz the answer to their prayers? I don’t think so. The way the 32-year-old plays, he would be exposed in that Arsenal defence. He would not get the same protection he enjoys at Chelsea, where N’Golo Kante patrols in front of the back line. In possession, Luiz is a wonderful passer, but he makes mistakes when playing as part of a back four. He has a tendency to lose his marker and is one of those all-or-nothing players — if he doesn’t win the ball in a challenge, then congratulations because you’re in. Luiz is clearly a big personality. Maybe Emery (right) thinks he can control the Brazilian — they crossed paths at Paris Saint-Germain — but him missing first-team training with Chelsea yesterday is a red flag. Let’s not forget that Arsenal have just been forced to sell a player to Bordeaux who did this to them. Laurent Koscielny was club captain and always came across as a good egg, but he still made sure he got his move. He refused to take part in their preseason tour of the United States. That showed how even the most well-balanced player is prepared to rock the boat in a bid to get his way. Do Arsenal really want to be on the receiving end of someone willing to kick up a similar fuss now? That’s why I question whether Luiz is suitable for Emery. As for Chelsea, all eyes are now on Frank Lampard. How do you react? We know the Chelsea dressing room can be a difficult place. Previous manager Maurizio Sarri suggested that last season when he accused certain players of being impossible to motivate. Was Luiz one of those? Has Lampard picked up on that since arriving? Did they clash before or after Chelsea’s final pre-season friendly against Borussia Monchengladbach, when Luiz was an unused substitute? We aren’t privy to everything that goes on behind the scenes. Either way, this is a big test for Lampard so early in the job. Chelsea’s options in central defence are limited. They have Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, who is injured. So on the one hand, they could do with keeping Luiz. On the other, Lampard will not want a disruptive force in his dressing room as he tackles his first season in the Premier League. Luiz signed a two-year contract with Chelsea in May — a move which broke the club’s policy of handing players aged 30 or over one-year deals only. Now, it looks like he has heard a whisper about another club wanting him and is happy to jump ship. Let’s see how Lampard handles this situation.