Chelsea have been in freefall in recent years and are currently ninth in the Premier League table after whimpering to a 12th-place finish last season. The Blues did show their fight on Saturday evening as they battled back from two goals down to secure a 2-2 draw with Aston Villa. But their crisis may go from bad to worse this summer as they are expected to lose Brazilian centre-back Thiago Silva, who was lauded for his performance against the Villans by former Blues wonderkid Shaun Wright-Phillips.
Chelsea appear to have had a scattergun approach in the transfer market since Todd Boehly bought the club at the end of May 2022. The west London giants have spent around £1billion during the American’s regime but are still relying on 39-year-old Silva to give them stability at the back.
Silva has been a revelation since moving to Stamford Bridge from Paris Saint-Germain in August 2020 and has featured 151 times for his current employers. But his contract is set to expire at the end of the season and he has been tipped to return to his homeland and join Fluminense.
Silva was in impressive form at Villa Park but was forced off in the closing stages with a groin injury. And after the match, Wright-Phillips said: “He’s 39 and he played that well that we didn’t even speak about him.”
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The fact the former England winger saved his praise for Silva suggests Chelsea’s recent dealings in the transfer market have left them exposed in crucial positions of the pitch and have not provided them with long-term solutions.
Chelsea have signed a whole host of defenders since Silva’s arrival, but none of them are currently deemed good enough to usurp the former Brazil international’s defensive position. So if Silva, who represented his country at four World Cups, does depart Stamford Bridge Blues manager Mauricio Pochettino may struggle to fill the void.
