Chelsea defender Thiago Silva will definitely want to stay at Stamford Bridge and play under Mauricio Pochettino, believes transfer insider Dean Jones.
The Brazilian has been linked with a move away from west London, but he recently quashed those rumours.
Chelsea transfer news — Thiago Silva
Earlier this month, Globo Esporte claimed that Silva regrets putting pen to paper on a one-year contract extension, which he did back in February, and now wants to join former club Fluminense.
However, the 38-year-old has since insisted that he intends to see out his deal at Chelsea.
“I’ve always fulfilled my contracts,” Silva told ESPN (via 90min). “I won’t stay here if Chelsea don’t want me for next year or if the new coach who arrives doesn’t want me to stay. I’m going to try to fulfil my contract that is signed until next year.”
Silva’s current contract is worth £110,000 a week, according to Spotrac.
What has Dean Jones said about Thiago Silva and Chelsea?
Discussing whether Silva would want to be part of Chelsea’s new era under Pochettino, Jones told GIVEMESPORT: “I think he’d definitely want to stay part of this right now. It’s been a really difficult year to be a Chelsea player. Thiago Silva, obviously in the final years, final stages of his career, seems like he’s settled at Chelsea.
“But I think also, he’ll have looked around him and just probably been in complete disbelief with the league position, considering the talent that’s around him every single day.”
Does Mauricio Pochettino need Thiago Silva at Chelsea next season?
According to The Telegraph, Pochettino is expected to sign his Chelsea contract this week.
Taking over at Stamford Bridge, the Argentine will have quite a few quality centre-back options, including Wesley Fofana, Benoît Badiashile and Levi Colwill.
Even so, it’s probably worth keeping Silva around. With the Blues’ squad a very young one, his experience will be useful, while the Brazil international is still a very good defender.
This season, he’s averaged one block and 4.1 clearances per game in the Premier League, as per WhoScored. No Chelsea player has done better than the former Paris Saint-Germain captain in either area.
Turning 39 in September, Silva won’t feature in every match in the 2023/24 campaign, especially with the likes of Fofana and Colwill around. Pochettino may see the two youngsters as Chelsea’s future.
Nevertheless, he could still have a huge role to play next season, with Pochettino possibly needing to lean on his experience.
