Chelsea: Thiago Silva still proves to be Blues’ best player despite new transfers

For the first time since the Blues’ embarrassing defeat to Brighton on the road, Graham Potter chose Thiago Silva to wear the captain’s armband on Friday evening. There was a lot of noise around the club leading up to the game considering the amount of money that the new ownership group poured into the squad during the month of January. CFC fans came out to see the 2022 World Cup Young Player of the Tournament, Enzo Fernandez, and Ukrainian international superstar, Mykhailo Mudryk.

Despite a quality outing by Fernandez in the middle of the park, fans left Stamford Bridge talking more about the stability of the backline than the attack that was supposed to be taking a large step forward.

Of course, it is going to take some time for players to get acclimated to their new environment in west London, but there was no bigger takeaway from the Fulham match than the amount of quality Silva, the free transfer in August of 2020 from Paris Saint-Germain possesses surrounded by the millions of pounds of players on the pitch at the Bridge against Fulham.

No matter how much money Todd Boehly can spend during transfer windows, it is clear after this Fulham contest, Silva is still in a class of his own.

Thiago Silva has been flawless for Chelsea

Since his introduction to the side in September 2020, few players at any level of the pitch have shined brighter than Silva. The spark from the new acquisitions will come eventually; even when it does, the Brazilian defender will still be the best player on the pitch. Benoit Badiashile has developed an encouraging combination in the backline for the Blues heading into the rest of the season.

Many fans have grown annoyed that a center back continues to put out the most quality outing compared to the rest of the squad, but there should simply be no surprise. There is a clear reason why the club wants to extend his stay in west London for even longer, despite the fact that youth is beginning to overwhelm the side.

Silva had the third most progressive passes on the team through 90 minutes against the Cottagers, nearly having himself an assist to Kai Havertz if it wasn’t for the outstretched leg of Bernd Leno.

The Brazilian had the highest completion percentage distributing the ball than any other field player who contributed a full 90 minutes. He was tied with Badiashile with the most long passes completed, and just one behind Conor Gallagher for the most final third entries of any Blue against Fulham.

If it was not for Silva, where would this Chelsea team be right now? In reality, without a doubt even further down the table than it already is at the moment. Just like athletes like LeBron James, or even Tom Brady, age is just a number for Silva.

Potter can have Fernandez, Noni Madueke, and Mudryk at his disposal, but there will be nobody on this roster that can influence a game more than Silva in his center back role. Mason Mount has won the Chelsea Player of the Season two consecutive times, but if the club thinks about giving the award to anybody but Silva at this point in time, it would feel like highway robbery.

You can only just marvel at the greatness that is the Brazilian central defender. His love for CFC in less than two years being at the club is simply remarkable. Through all the ups and downs, Silva has been as consistent as it gets when he receives the ball to step between the lines.

Finishing in front of the net continues to be an issue for the Blues, but CFC fans can still hang their hat on the fact that this backline has found a way to piece together three straight clean sheets in the Premier League.

Attacking players are only continued to become more dynamic each season, and while Silva never has the pace to keep up with them, his intelligence provides him with the evident leg-up. From his threat during set-pieces to leadership, and vison with the ball at his feet, Silva is merely one of a kind despite being surrounded by the record signings that have made up the Blues’ 500 million pounds spent since the month of May.

Will Thiago Silva get a new deal?