Thiago Silva discusses personal targets for next season at Chelsea
Chelsea could lose several defenders before the start of next season. Marcos Alonso, Andreas Christensen, and Antonio Rudiger are all set to don new jerseys, while club skipper Cesar Azpilicueta’s future hangs in the balance as well.
One player who is sure to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge is crowd favourite Thiago Silva. Amidst all the talks with defenders over contract extensions, or lack thereof, the 37-year-old’s new deal was smoother conduct as he prolonged his future by 15 months and is expected to marshal Chelsea’s defense next term.
He appears to be ageing like a fine wine, having made a whopping 48 appearances in all competitions for Chelsea this season. Arguably their best defender, Silva shepherded his side to European glory as the Blues bagged the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup following last year’s dramatic Champions League success.
For a serial winner as ambitious as Thiago Silva, Premier League success is paramount. And he made no secret of the matter when he admitted that the league is a ‘dream’ for him.
The Brazilian remarked “Honestly, the Premier League. It’s a dream, something that I crave. All the national leagues I’ve played in before I’ve won, and the Premier League is no different in my eyes – it is something I really want to win.
He would go on to add “We won the Champions League last season and now I have the Premier League in my mind. It’s not to discard any other competition but the Premier League is the one I really want to win.”
Chelsea last won the Premier League under Antonio Conte in 2017, after which Manchester City have won four titles, besides Liverpool’s 2019-20 triumphant campaign.
There have been recurrent discourses on Chelsea bridging the gap between themselves and the current giants of the division. Much to their despair, they finished 19 points behind champions Manchester City, dropping winnable points frequently along the way during the second half of the season.
Once the turnover is complete, Chelsea are expected to break the bank for a shopping spree to help offset all the departures. In order to win next season, one would expect Thiago Silva to play at the same level as he did this time around – or perhaps, a step above.
-Akarshak Roy
Twitter: @RoyAkarshak
Photo: محمد امین انصاری. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license.