Frank Lampard reveals reason behind David Luiz’s late transfer to Arsenal

Frank Lampard has denied a rift with David Luiz after the centre-back’s surprise £8m move to London rivals Arsenal on transfer deadline day. “We had some conversations over the last week, honest ones and the conclusion was that he should move on,” Lampard said. “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 weren’t any strikes. No fall-outs, just honest conversations. I always respected honesty from a manager, whatever the news and I respected the same back from David.” Luiz trained separately from the first-team squad on Wednesday. “Him not training was a decision I made as I felt that is what I made at the time. You can’t always dictate where a player goes. He’s a good player and has gone to a competitor... but it’s just how this situation was,” said Lampard.

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