David Luiz shocking chose to leave Chelsea and join London rivals Arsenal during the summer transfer window.
The Brazilian was supposed to be the first choice central defender for new manager Frank Lampard but instead, the Blues boss chose to let him leave and join a direct rival.
Many pundits have slammed Lampard for making such a poor decision but rumours had claimed that David Luiz chose to leave the club due to a falling out with the boss.
Lampard though made it clear that there was no bad blood between the pair and that David Luiz was allowed to leave after a proper meeting.
The manager said: “We had some conversations over the last week, honest ones and the conclusion was that he should move on.
“It’s a position that I have a lot of competition. Everyone has to understand that. He has moved on and we wish him the absolute best because he has been a big part of our history.
“There wasn’t any strikes. No fall-outs, just honest conversations. As a player, I want that as a manager, and I think I got that from David.
“Him not training was a decision I made as I felt that is what I made at the time. You can’t dictate too much what happens at times. The decision was that he moves on to Arsenal and I focus on here. Yes, he is a good player.”
And now David Luiz has himself revealed that he chose to move out of Stamford Bridge and join Arsenal because he was not part of Lampard’s plans at Chelsea this season.
“It is a new challenge in my career, where I took the decision to fight for new things, and I enjoyed it in the best way possible,” he told Mundo ESPN(as reported).
”In talks with Frank [Lampard], [he said] he had a different plan for the year. So we spoke in total honesty, and he made it clear that he had different ideas from mine. So I had this opportunity, to receive an offer from Arsenal, which is a great club.
”I still respect Chelsea. It’s never easy for people to understand everything that goes through. But my decision was also to respect Chelsea and their new manager, who wanted to implement a different philosophy at the club.
”And so I decided to get on this new journey, a new home, where I’ll do everything to shine as well.”
