Arsenal centre-back David Luiz has revealed that a clash in ideas with Chelsea boss Frank Lampard led to his surprise exit from Stamford Bridge earlier this month.
Luiz swapped West London for North London on deadline day in one of the more unexpected transfers of the summer window, joining the Gunners for £8m.
The move came just three months after Luiz had penned a new two-year contract at Chelsea, and the Brazilian has now confirmed that talks with Lampard were the reason behind his departure.
Speaking after making his debut for Arsenal against Burnley on Saturday, Luiz told ESPN Brazil: "It was a great pleasure. It is a new challenge in my career, where I took the decision to fight for new things and I enjoyed it in the best way possible.
"In talks with Frank, he had a different plan for the year. So we spoke in total honesty and he made it clear that he had different ideas from mine. So I had this opportunity to receive an offer from Arsenal, which is a great club.
"I still respect Chelsea. It's never easy for people to understand everything that goes on. But my decision was also to respect Chelsea and their new manager, who wanted to implement a different philosophy a the club. And so I decided to get on this new journey, a new home, where I'll do everything to shine as well."
Luiz made 248 appearances for Chelsea during his two spells at Stamford Bridge, scoring 18 goals.
Barney Corkhill
