Chelsea
owner Roman Abramovich is still passionate about the club and tries to be
involved on a daily basis despite his long-term absence, insists David Luiz.
Russian billionaire Abramovich ran into problems renewing his British visa
last year amid tensions between the two countries and has not been seen at
Stamford Bridge this season.
British media reports indicated Abramovich had grown weary and even looked
to sell the club but Luiz has confirmed the 52-year-old has not lost his
hunger for success after speaking with him prior to renewing his Chelsea
contract last week.
"I had the opportunity to talk with him last week to decide my future," Luiz
said.
"He loves the club and everything that is inside the club, not just the
people. He wants to win everything, he wants to do more.
"It's difficult for him, he has been away but his heart is here. He tries to
be involved every single day. He's still really passionate for the club. He
has the same hunger, thinking about winning. He doesn't want to lose energy.
"He's the one who built Chelsea - everything at Chelsea changed because of
him. The results speak for themselves, 15 trophies in 15 years."
Chelsea finished third under Maurizio Sarri to return to the Champions
League and Luiz said the side had exceeded pre-season expectations as they
look to finish the campaign with a Europa League trophy when they face
Arsenal in Baku on May 29.
"We did amazing, especially with the first year for a new coach," Luiz
added. "Nobody expected Chelsea to finish third. Everybody thought we were
going to be out of the Champions League.
"We're fighting for the Europa League and we lost the League Cup on
penalties, a competition where we beat Liverpool and Tottenham and were the
better side against Manchester City in the final."
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