Chelsea will look to get another year out of veteran defender Thiago Silva.
What’s the word?
That is according to journalist Simon Phillips, who believes that the 38-year-old is still of use to Chelsea and can be a mentor to players like Wesley Fofana and Kalidou Koulibaly, with the latter still bedding into life in the Premier League.
Speaking to GIVEMESPORT about the veteran defender, Phillips said: “I think Chelsea could probably get another year out of him, and I think they’ll look to extend it another year. Fofana can lean on him for experience and also Koulibaly, coming to a new league.
“He’s obviously not as young as Fofana, but he can lean on Silva and take the reins off of Silva if you like, to play in that central centre-back position, and he could certainly do with Thiago Silva’s words of advice right now as he tries to settle in a new league.”
A “born warrior”
Hailed by Jamie Redknapp as a “born warrior” who “wants to win”, Silva is exactly that and has asserted himself as the rock in the Chelsea backline since his switch from Paris Saint-Germain back in 2020.
At the age of 38, the Brazilian seems to be going strong and has put up some standout performances.
For instance, in Chelsea’s most recent game against Crystal Palace on Saturday, Silva had the most touches (129), passes (111), long passes (15), ball recoveries (nine), final third entries (17) and clearances (five), as per FOTMOB.
He is a massive part of the Blues’ squad, as Graham Potter clearly understands, having started him in both of his first two games in charge of the west London outfit.
The £95k-per-week defender has already stated that he wants to play until he is 40, so Chelsea should be holding him to that as quickly as possible.
Having featured in 32 Premier League games last season, Silva has established himself as a reliable leader at Stamford Bridge, and that could be invaluable to Potter as he properly gets stuck into life in the dugout in west London.
