Liverpool great Steve Nicol feels Arsenal extending David Luiz’s contract would please other teams in the Premier League and has stressed the ex-Chelsea defender is an accident waiting to happen.
Luiz has come in for heavy criticism following Arsenal’s 3-0 rout at the hands of Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Wednesday.
The ex-Chelsea defender came on as a substitute for the injured Pablo Mari and made two crucial mistakes which led to goals, with his second mistake forcing the referee to brandish a red card to the Brazilian.
Reds legend Nicol believes while Luiz can put in quality performances at times, he can also cost his team vital points when not on his day and, with him on the pitch, the manager can never be sure of what to expect.
The former Liverpool defender Nicol stressed the Gunners extending Luiz’s contract would not sit well with Arsenal fans, but thinks other Premier League teams would take it as good news as they would be able to target the 33-year old at the heart of Arsenal’s defence.
“I guess that is good news for all the other teams [Arsenal extending Luiz’s contract]. Have a look at your fixture list and hope he is playing centre-back whenever you trot out to play them”, Nicol said on ESPN FC.
“The truth is, this is not something new that we are talking about, this is David Luiz. He at times can be really good, particularly with the ball at his feet.
“Unfortunately, he is usually pretty bad rather than pretty good and he is a mistake waiting to happen.
"And the profession that’s how we sort of categorise players. Particularly when you are playing against them.
“The coach will always say, ‘Hey, watch him because he always has a mistake in him’.
"And that’s with David Luiz.
"Great at times, horrendous at other times so you are not quite sure what you are getting.
“For all the other sides in the Premier League, good news.
"Maybe not good news for Arsenal fans.”
Luiz has a clause in his contract which gives Arsenal an option to extend his current deal by an additional year, but it remains to be seen if the Gunners opt to trigger the clause in light of his recent performances.
