Chelsea today confirmed they had reached an agreement with Atletico Madrid to sign Filipe Luis as Ashley Cole’s replacement.
Cole had been deemed surplus to requirements after eight trophy-laden years at Stamford Bridge and was allowed to join Roma on a free transfer.
While at Chelsea, Cole won one Premier League title, one Champions League, one Europa League, one League Cup and four FA Cups.
That list of honours is a lot to live up to, however Blues boss Jose Mourinho’s lengthy pursuit of Luis shows you the faith the Special One has in his new signing.
Is he right? He usually is.
Here’s five reasons Mourinho has picked another winner in Atletico’s Luis, who will become a Chelsea player subject to the agreement of personal terms and a medical.
1. Peak
Chelsea are signing a La Liga champion who was instrumental in guiding Atleti all the way to the Champions League final.
At the age of 28, Luis is at the peak of his powers and ready to play a key role from the first minute of the new Premier League campaign.
Young Luke Shaw was also touted as a potential recruit before joining Manchester United, however the ex-Southampton starlet is a long-term project.
2. Natural
This seems an obvious one but it’s true - Chelsea need a left-back.
Cole’s departure was largely down to Cesar Azpilicueta’s emergence as a makeshift option on the left side of the Blues defence.
While the man supporters like to call ‘Dave’ was impressive in his new role, Azpilicueta will be the first to tell you it’s not his first-choice position.
The arrival of Luis allows him to return the right channel.
3. Statistics don’t lie.
Take a look at this stat, supplied by Opta, which tells you all you need to know about Luis’ defensive qualities.
La Liga is blessed with attacking talents like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi - Luis has honed his skills against the best in the world.
4. Settling in
Luis has made it clear from the outset that he was desperate to move to west London and shouldn’t find it difficult to settle in the English capital.
Despite the sale of David Luiz, Chelsea boast a strong Brazilian contingent to keep Luis company and make him feel at home.
Willian, Oscar, Lucas Piazon and Ramires will all have a part to play in that.
Furthermore, Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois and new signing Diego Costa will both be making the same journey from Madrid as Luis this summer.
5. Fresh
Luis has four Brazil caps to his name but was overlooked by ex-Chelsea boss Luis Felipe Scolari for his World Cup squad.
Real Madrid’s Marcelo and Paris Saint-Germain’s Maxwell were selected instead.
While missing a home World Cup will have hurt Luis, Chelsea are set to benefit from his extended summer break.
You only have to look at the resurgence of John Terry last season, who has retired from international football, to see what a difference the extra rest can make for players.
Re-live some of Luis' predecessor's best moments in our gallery below.
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