Chelsea edging closer to nailing down crucial star, as stalwart declares club ‘need’ him

Chelsea are edging closer to agreeing a fresh deal with Thiago Silva, as the defender has revealed his “intention” is to stay as the club “need” him.

Silva has been a constant fixture in the Blues side when available. Last season, he missed just six league games and he’s followed that up by playing all but two so far this season.

Having some level of consistency is good for Chelsea. Indeed, with the amount of players that have joined the club over the last two windows, they could field a different side every week.

As many as 16 players have walked through the door since Todd Boehly bought the club. That could be problematic, with the chance that the fresh faces won’t gel with the side.

As such, having a player like Silva is crucial for the club. Not only is he one of the first names on the team sheet, but he’s a leader, and acts as the glue that holds the spine of the team together.

If he was to leave the club, there would only be one remaining centre-back that didn’t join this season.

As such, it would be in the best interests of Chelsea to keep him around. Doing so is not a certainty, though, with the 38-year-old’s contract up at the end of the season.

Reports recently suggested they were exploring the option of tying the impactful defender down for another year.

Silva contract edging closer

It seems that’s something they’re going to succeed in doing, too. Indeed, Silva himself has recently revealed that talks are progressing and could be completed soon.

“We are talking about it. Probably everything will happen in the next few days. My intention and the club’s intention are the same: to stay together,” he said on the Chelsea website.

In fact, Silva feels he has responsibility to remain at the club, as he feels they need him at the moment, and he is happy in that knowledge.

“I know that the club needs me at this moment, I’m here to help, there are young players. I think that with my experience I can help in this process of rebuilding the club. I am here for this, willing to do this. But I know that my responsibility is huge. I know we have a lot of work ahead of us.”

“And I’m very happy here. It’s a club I feel very comfortable in. God willing, we’ll go for a fourth season together, something that at the beginning I used to say: ‘We’ll do one season, then we’ll go to I don’t know where’, you know? I’m already close to my fourth season and I’m very happy.”

Silva stay is huge for Chelsea

The players that Chelsea have brought to the club recently seem to be good options. However, the crucial role that Silva plays is not to be understated.

The centre-back is probably one of the most influential members of the side, whether is he is at the top of his game or not. That’s especially true in the tough spot they currently find themselves in.

Chelsea are 10th in the league, but Silva’s presence in itself can help with the rebuild. What’s more, he’ll be imparting his knowledge onto the newer defenders so that they don’t suffer as badly if the club’s form drops off in the future.

Indeed, the Blues would notice his absence if he was no longer there, so it’s huge for them if they can keep him for another year.

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