‘Chelsea’s David Luiz and Fernando Torres have silenced critics’

Chelsea pair David Luiz and Fernando Torres should both take great pleasure in proving their detractors wrong, according to club legend Pat Nevin.

The Blues duo suffered inconspicuous starts to their careers in west London after being signed in the January transfer window in 2011.

Yet, two-and-a-half years later, Torres, who finished Chelsea’s top-scorer this season, and Luiz – a fast-approaching indispensible member of the team – have both finally settled at Stamford Bridge.

And Nevin admits the pair’s transformation has been pleasing to see.

“I got a load of personal pleasure watching both David Luiz and Fernando Torres proving the naysayers wrong after all as the season progressed,” he told Chelsea’s website.

“Both had dips of course but [Torres] can’t score 22 goals in one season and seriously be considered a flop.”

The Spaniard has not only topped the scoring charts but also contributed with 11 assists, emphasising his growing value to the club, who paid a British record £50m to sign him from Liverpool.

However, it hasn’t all been easy. The 29-year-old has regularly gone long spells without netting in the league and has often left supporters scratching their heads after some shoddy performances.

But after finding the net against Everton on Sunday to round off a successful season, Torres can look forward to the next campaign with confidence.

Nevin was keen to single out Brazilian Luiz too – the 26-year-old is being touted as successor to captain John Terry when the England international decides to hang up his boots.

“David Luiz has scored great goals and grown in stature to such a level that it is almost impossible to think of Chelsea’s best team without fitting him in there and him being central to the performance,” added Nevin.