Arsenal has had a much more eventful transfer window than fans anticipated. Initially given a transfer budget of just $54 million, it seemed as though the Gunners would continue their tradition of promising fans a lot but offering them very little in terms of actual signings.
However, new director of football Raul Sanllehi clearly has a different approach than former management as Arsenal's managed to fill almost every major need despite its budget restrictions. Now, with the Premier League’s deadline day having officially passed just this morning, it appears Arsenal has managed one last bit of magic.
Right before the window closed, the Gunners signed Chelsea veteran center back David Luiz for a measly $10 million.
David Luiz's move to Arsenal is being done for £10m, according to @jorgenicola. He'll earn the same €7m per season as at Chelsea, but now gets other possible €2m in bonuses. He was afraid of being benched by Lampard and now feels he can be a regular starter with the Gunners.
— Lucas Sposito (@LucasSposito_) August 8, 2019
Apparently Luiz was unhappy with his role at Chelsea under new manager Frank Lampard, so the club decided to accept his request to be sold to Arsenal so he could stay in London.
While Chelsea management may have been happy with the transfer, Chelsea fans certainly are not, and the fan meltdowns alone make the transfer worth it if you’re an Arsenal fan.
The highlight thus far has been the bombardment of negative reviews the Chelsea faithful has left on Luiz’s Italian restaurant's Yelp page since signing at Arsenal. Here are some of my favorites:
“I found the food overrated and overpriced, not as good as it used to be”
“Absolutely horrible restaurant, it is full of snakes”
“I found a curly hair in my pasta”
While these posts are hilarious, hopefully these reviews are taken down or reported, as they could hurt the restaurant, which would punish Luiz’s restaurant staff far more than the action punishes Luiz.
With Luiz joining the squad, Arsenal adds some much needed depth to the center back position without breaking the bank, strengthening their chances of cracking the top four while also weakening Chelsea’s. I’m sure Aubamayeng and Lacazette are foaming at the mouth for Luiz to set them up with passes like this:
Barring any last minute issues with his medical or registration, Luiz should be announced officially by Arsenal before midnight tonight.