Chelsea's transfer of David Luiz a surprise, admits Antonio Conte

By Paul Vinnell

Chelsea coach Antonio Conte has revealed that he brought David Luiz back to Chelsea to play as a central defender

Chelsea boss Antonio Conte admits he had no idea David Luiz might be available until transfer Deadline Day.

Luiz's £30m move from Paris Saint-Germain to the club he first joined in 2011 was the biggest surprise of the summer with the erratic Brazil international reinforcing the Blues' centre-back options.

And Conte admits that the nature of the transfer caught everyone by surprise.

"When we take the decision about the players, we always take the decision together - me and the club," Conte said.

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"I told you that this transfer market was very difficult for us to reach our targets, but at the last minute, on the last day, there was this situation which was good for me and the club to improve the squad.

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"For this reason, we bought David Luiz. We invested in David, and I'm very happy. We took a player with a great personality, good technique and who likes to play.

"I like to play football and I like defenders who like to play football. We know that David can improve in defensive situations, but it's good and I'm very happy he has come here.

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Image: David Luiz rejoined Chelsea on transfer Deadline Day (Pic courtesy of Chelsea FC)

"He's a good guy, a positive guy for the changing room. I'm very pleased for this."

Luiz and fellow new recruit Marcos Alonso, a left-back signed from Fiorentina, may have to wait for their first appearances.

"I think the new players needed a bit of time to work with a new philosophy," Conte said.

"For this reason I think the chance to play at the start is not high."

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