By attracting Thiago Silva to him, at the end of his contract with Paris SG, Chelsea made a nice catch inexpensively in a fragile sector last year by offering the “Monstro” an interesting challenge. Abandoned by Paris SG at almost 36 years old - he will have them on September 22 - the Brazilian is still hungry for competition. No question for him of going to cash his last years during a pre-retirement which would not speak its name in a more or less exotic championship. "I want to prepare to play the World Cup in Qatar" in 2022, he even let go on Sunday, after a solid performance, despite the defeat against Bayern Munich in the Champions League final (1-0 ). A bitter defeat to close an important chapter in his life with these eight years in the French capital punctuated by 18 national trophies, even if they were also marred by bitter memories on the European scene.
Done deal! Welcome to Chelsea, @ TSilva3! #OhhThiagoSilva
- Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) August 28, 2020In Chelsea, he arrives in a club that will allow him to taste the Champions League again, a team determined to give itself the means to come and disrupt the mano a mano between Liverpool and Manchester City. “I am so happy to join Chelsea. I am delighted to be part of Frank Lampard's exciting squad and I am here to fight for titles, ”said the player who has signed up for a year, with an additional year as an option. By spending nearly 145 million euros to sign Moroccan attacking midfielder Hakim Ziyech, German striker Timo Werner, and England full-back Ben Chilwell - pending the very likely record-breaking transfer of German Kai Havertz, who is expected to flirt with the 90 million pounds (100 million euros) bonus included according to the press -, the Blues want to give themselves the means of their ambitions. But it will also mean giving consistency to a rearguard who has yielded 54 times in 38 days, which made her the 12th defense in the Premier League last season.
Thiago Silva's career at PSG
Thiago Silva as youth defense leader
With that in mind, it cannot be denied that Silva, despite his pedigree, is more of a choice of reason for the London club. According to the media, Lampard wanted to bring Declan Rice back to the fold, not kept by Chelsea at 14 and who has since made West Ham happy. But while Roman Abramovich opened the portfolio wide this summer, the resources are not endless and the Hammers asking price did the rest for the defensive midfielder. Thiago Silva remains however much more than a “low cost” plan B, according to the Blues. “We are delighted to be able to add a world-class player as established as Thiago Silva to our squad. Having played at the highest level for many years, we have no doubt that his experience and quality will complement the exciting talents we already have here, ”said club general manager Marina Granovskaia.
Sometimes criticized for his youthfulness at the start of the season - favored by the ban on recruiting imposed on the club last summer and then lifted - Lampard saw the limits, especially in the management of weak times. With Antonio Rüdiger, Kurt Zouma, Andreas Christensen, Fikayo Tomori and Cesar Azpilicueta at his disposal, he failed to find the right formula, even if the fragility of the last rampart, Kepa Arrizabalaga, the keeper with 80 million euros, did not help. Thiago Silva, if he probably no longer has the same burst of speed or the same explosiveness, offers solid guarantees in terms of reading the game and especially the ability to lead a defense. He is called upon to play a mentoring role with Zouma, Christensen and Tomori who, at 25, 24 and 22 respectively, can learn a lot in terms of demand and concentration from a player who has appeared three times in the eleven. annual FIFA World Cup.
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