The former Paris Saint-Germain star is close to joining the Blues on a one-year deal, following the completion of PSG’s Champions League campaign.
Contract
[Sky Sports][1] wrote that Chelsea will get the deal for the 35-year-old over the line and that he’ll join Hakim Ziyech and Timo Werner as Stamford Bridge’s new arrivals.
But it’s a big gamble.
They’re only giving Thiago Silva 12 months at the club, which shows that they’re concerned about his age. But what’s he supposed to do in such a short amount of time?
Mentor?
It’s unlikely the Brazilian will be used in a mentorship role as Fikayo Tomori could be off to Ligue 1 on loan while Kurt Zouma has also been linked with a move away - said Sky Sports. The two other central defenders in the squad, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger, are coming into the last 24 months of their deals and there’s no assurances that they’ll be both in the team at the end of that time.
Could Chelsea manager Frank Lampard be biding his time to see who comes on the market? Well that doesn’t really make much sense either given the lack of financial strength selling sides have right now.
Waiting Game
He could be waiting to see how players like Dayot Upamecano develops over the next year as he’ll have another season of Champions League football and regular Bundesliga action under his belt.
Will Silva even be able to keep up with the demands of playing for Chelsea in the Premier League? He did well in the Bayern Munich final but it’s easy to reach top levels for a one-off game. Silva hasn’t been tested like he’ll be tested at Stamford Bridge, and the Premier League is a step up from Ligue 1 anyway.
Short Term
After using such a young side for 2019/2020, Lampard could be trying to tip the scales the other way - although Willian and Pedro leaving on a free transfer would refute that argument.
Maybe Chelsea can just see the cheap(ish) chance to add some real leadership and steel to their defence, something that was so lacking previously, even if this is just a short-term fix.[1]: https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11668/12055335/thiago-silva-chelsea-close-to-signing-defender-after