Chelsea: How will David Luiz fit in and was he Antonio Conte's first choice?

After sitting out of Sunday's draw with Swansea, the Brazilian is likely to feature against Liverpool

Luiz on the bench at the Liberty Stadium (Getty)

David Luiz is back at Stamford Bridge. The wild Brazilian defender will bring his charisma, character and on the ball technical ability with him as he makes his return to Chelsea.

Yet to what extent does the former Paris Saint-Germain centre back feature in Antonio Conte’s plans as the Italian attempts to stamp his mark on English football?

Throughout the summer, Conte was linked with defenders such as Leonardo Bonucci, Alessio Romagnoli and Kalidou Koulibaly. He failed to sign any of the three and has ended up with Luiz, a player with flair and skill but does not fall into the category of your traditional defender.

Take Bonucci, a hardened Italian centre-back who has been able to use his brilliant positional play to mould a successful career with Juventus and Italy.

The 29-year-old showed the world how useful he can be playing in the heart of Conte’s three-man defence during the European Championship in France this summer. Conte knows and trusts Bonucci but was unable to sign his fellow Italian as he signed an extension to his contract with Juventus.

Another man who Conte had his heart set on was Kalidou Koulibaly, as he attempted to find a centre back he could mould into a long-term successor to Chelsea captain John Terry. Kouliably is a remarkably strong and athletic centre back.


 Koulibaly was a target for Chelsea but Napoli held onto the centre-back (Getty)

Standing at 6ft 5inch he dominated in the Serie A last season, he made more tackles (69) than Bonucci (28), Luiz (23) or Romagnoli (37). Napoli reportedly rejected a £42m bid to keep Koulibaly at the club and have now convinced the Senegalese defender to sign a new contract, which includes a £60m buy-out clause for the player.

The third player Conte has expressed his interest in was Romagnoli. The 21-year-old has already started to make a name for himself as one of the new wave of Italian defenders, having left Roma to join Milan after a loan spell at Sampdoria.

The young defender made 33 appearances for Milan in the Serie A last season and proved that he is not just a young talent but an outstanding defender who has the potential to be another Italian great.

Romagnoli made more interceptions (84) than Bonucci (82), Luiz (60) and Koulibaly (82), showing he has the ability to read the game. He also made more blocks and fewer defence errors than Bonucci, Luiz or Koulibaly.

Yet, Chelsea and Conte could not quite seal the deal this summer, missing out on three talented defenders and leaving the squad very thin on the ground.

Instead, the club has decided to bring back Luiz for a whopping £30m, a huge some for a 30-year-old defender. However, it does open the door to the possibility of Conte playing a 3-5-2 formation. The Italian has been known for playing this shape throughout his career, allowing the team to play two strikers and offering a five-man defence if needs be.

Conte may have his work cut out to tame Luiz and convince him to hold his position but if he can, a back three of Luiz, Terry and Zouma - when fit - is an exciting prospect for the Blues.