Thiago Silva announces Chelsea exit at the end of the season

Thiago Silva has announced that he will leave Chelsea at the end of this season, bringing an end to his four-year stay at the club.  

The 39-year-old arrived in August 2020 on a free transfer after leaving Paris Saint-Germain. He helped the Blues clinch the Champions League, FIFA Club World Cup, and the UEFA Super Cup, accruing 151 appearances.

Silva also helped Chelsea reach the FA and EFL Cup finals twice during his storied stay at the West London club. He will be remembered as a legend despite only playing for the club for four years. 

“Chelsea means a lot to me,” Silva said in a message to Chelsea fans (via CFC’s website). “I came here with the intention of only staying for a year, and it ended up being four years. Not just for me but for my family, too.”

“I think in everything I did here over the four years, I always gave my all. But, unfortunately, everything has a start, a middle and an end. That doesn’t mean that this is a definitive end.

“I hope to leave the door open so that in the near future I can return, albeit in another role here. But…it’s an indescribable love. I can only say thank you.”

Silva has not closed the door on his playing career, and there have been talks about a return to his boyhood club, Fluminense, in Brazil.

Another of his former clubs, AC Milan, are considering a move for him on a free transfer, but he reportedly prefers a move back home. 

Letting go of experience? Chelsea’s confusing defensive move

Chelsea fans will be scratching their heads after the move to let go of Silva, who has been a defensive rock and leader.

At 39, his experience was invaluable for a squad filled with young and inexperienced talent. This short-sighted decision weakens an already vulnerable backline. 

Silva’s composure and tactical nous were crucial in Chelsea’s past triumphs. He is also clearly the best centre-back at the club at this point, with Benoit Badiashile and Axel Disasi struggling.

Letting him go reeks of the poor planning that has plagued the club since the arrival of the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital Consortium. Chelsea need experience, not another gap to fill.