Arsenal cap impressive window with late David Luiz move

David Luiz loves a last-minute transfer.

The Brazilian center-back completed a surprise move to Arsenal on Thursday, joining the Gunners from Chelsea for a reported £8-million fee. The deal was announced some three hours after the official closure of the transfer window.

Unai Emery's side had been linked with a handful of central defenders during the summer, but a deal for Luiz hadn't been tipped until Wednesday, when it was reported that the 32-year-old trained separately from the rest of his now-former Chelsea teammates in a bid to engineer a switch to the Emirates.

Things progressed quickly from there.

Luiz, who just recently signed a fresh two-year contract with the Blues, was apparently worried about losing his status as an undisputed starter under new manager Frank Lampard.

After starting 36 Premier League matches for Chelsea last season, the afro-clad veteran was expected to play second fiddle to younger peers Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen, who look set to be Lampard's first-choice center-backs this year.

The move to Arsenal reunites Luiz and Emery, who developed a strong bond during their short time together at Paris Saint-Germain.

"I had the opportunity to work with Unai for a few months. He's a great guy, a great coach, a great person," Luiz said of the Spanish bench boss in May. "He's passionate. He loves his work. He likes to build teams who are spirited, play with passion, and you can see that."

Central defense has long been an area that Arsenal needed to reinforce, even before longtime stalwart Laurent Koscielny made a contentious move to Bordeaux this week.