Pain in the Arsenal
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Arsenal: Grading the 2019 summer signings

By Andrew Dowdeswell

LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24: Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal celebrates scoring the fifth goal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest at Emirates Stadium on September 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 24: Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal celebrates scoring the fifth goal during the Carabao Cup Third Round match between Arsenal and Nottingham Forest at Emirates Stadium on September 24, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images) /
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Arsenal, David Luiz
Arsenal’s Brazilian defender David Luiz applauds supporters on the pitch after the UEFA Europa League round of 32 first leg football match between Olympiakos and Arsenal at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, near Athens, on February 20, 2020. – Arsenal won the game 1-0. (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS / AFP) (Photo by ARIS MESSINIS/AFP via Getty Images) /

David Luiz – B

David Luiz played poorly for the first few months of his first season at Arsenal. He was thrown into the fire during the tail end of the hapless Unai Emery era. Partnering the equally hapless Sokratis with the atrocious Granit Xhaka attempting to shield the defence, the Brazilian never really had a chance. And since Mikel Arteta has taken over, we have seen the best of Luiz.

There have, admittedly, been the usual mindnumbing mistakes. At this stage, these are an irreparable aspect of his game. But his overall play has improved substantially. His passing range has come to the fore, he is quick and aggressive when pushing high, and Arteta has leaned on his experience and leadership, the Spaniard publicly extolling the virtues of the former Chelsea defender.

It is also important to remember that Luiz arrived for £8 million. Arsenal had almost no money and had to replace Laurent Koscielny after he threw his toys out of the pram. They needed a quick and cheap solution. Luiz was that, and all things considered, he has fulfilled his duty.

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