Luiz To Replace Terry As Chelsea Captain?

Luiz To Replace Terry As Chelsea Captain?

David Luiz joined Chelsea in January 2011 along with record signing Fernando Torres, and he was expected to be overshadowed by the Spaniard. However, it has not been a happy time for Torres, and it has actually been Brazilian Luiz who has been starring during his time at Chelsea.

Luiz has become a fan favourite since his move from Benfica and has also gradually removed the defensive errors he was prone to early in his Chelsea career. And according to Dailymail, Abramovich has recognised his potential to be a leader and is ready to drop John Terry as captain in favour of the 26-year-old Brazil captain.

Terry was chosen to be the club’s captain following the arrival of the ‘Special One’, Jose Mourinho, back in 2005. He has kept his captaincy since then, becoming Chelsea’s most successful captain along the way. As captain, Terry has won three league titles, four FA cups, two league cups and last season’s Champions League.

However, he has lost his place in the side under interim coach Benitez this season, who has preferred to deploy Luiz and Ivanovic at the heart of the Blues’ defence. His absence in the side may force Abramovich’s hand, and the Russian could be tempted to make Luiz his captain next season.

The Russian billionaire has a policy of awarding only one-year rolling contracts to players aged above 30. According to the report, Abramovich wants to clear out the old guard, with Frank Lampard set to depart the club at the end of the season. He allowed striker Didier Drogba to leave on a free transfer last summer.

No contract talks have been discussed with Terry and, just like Lampard, he may not be offered a new contract once it expires. However, the former England international may still have a future at the club if Chelsea are successful in bringing back Jose Mourinho to Stamford Bridge and he does still have one year left on his current deal unlike Lampard whose contract is up this summer.