David Luiz waiting on Antonio Conte’s fate to decide his own future — report

Chelsea defender David Luiz has been almost completely absent from the squad since October, after falling out of form (and thus giving Andreas Christensen the center stage), then falling out of favor, and then picking up knee and ankle injuries. He utilised this time off wisely, recovering at Cobham, supporting the club, striking up a good-looking friendship with Olivier Giroud, and of course investing in a restaurant alongside Willian and agent Kia Joorabchian. His life however is on the football pitch, and not in the dining room. At least not yet.

According to UOL, David is waiting on Antonio Conte’s fate to decide on his own future with Chelsea. One of his representatives, Giuliano Bertolucci is supposedly in London right now to figure out a solution to the situation, with David apparently keen to stay if Conte leaves. Approaches from clubs, mainly Chinese ones, were rejected by David’s representatives due to the player’s personal wishes. While his stay is not yet set in stone, it is likely that he will be eager to attempt to impress the new manager and to earn back his place in the starting lineup — this last bit is certainly great PR work from the 31-year-old’s representatives!

There is only one year left on David Luiz’s contract and even without Conte around, he will face an uphill battle for playing time. Andreas Christensen is the future (even if his present is a bit bumpy at the moment), and there’s no guarantee that a new coach would continue playing with three center backs (though Luiz can play in midfield as well). But it’s nice to hear that he remains committed to the club and not willing to give up without a fight, even after taking literal hits from Aguero and metaphorical ones from Conte.