Chelsea star makes defiant transfer claim after ‘hardest season’

Tom Hancock

• 30 May 2023 22:00 BST
• 3 min read

Thiago Silva has hinted that he could keep playing for Chelsea past his 40th birthday, having just finished what he’s called the toughest campaign of his career.

The veteran Brazilian centre-back still has another year left to run on his Blues deal – but he does turn 39 this September coming.

That doesn’t seem to be playing on the mind of Silva, though, who recently collected Chelsea’s player of the season award.

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After receiving the prize, Silva – whose two sons are currently in Chelsea’s academy – told the Blues’ official website: “The club is really important to all of us [my family]; it’s a mutual love.

“My wife, for instance, takes the Underground to games, and when she gets off the train people recognise her and start to sing my name to her! That just shows the love that they have for us, and we have for them. I know my wife goes to London a lot, far more than I do, and I know she really likes it; she says it’s a very welcoming city.”

One of Silva’s sons, Isago, has just extended his youth deal for another two years, meaning Silva sr. is going to be sticking around. He continued:

“Isago has extended his contract here for the next two seasons, which means we are going to be here for two years. We just hope it’s more!”

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Silva enters a new era at the Bridge

Silva – who joined Chelsea as a free agent in the summer of 2020 – also took time to reflect on what he says had been “the hardest season I can remember having”.

The Blues burned through two permanent head coaches in 2022/23 – Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter – with Frank Lampard returning as caretaker manager to see out the campaign.

Mauricio Pochettino was confirmed on Monday as the latest man to step into the Stamford Bridge dugout, and it goes without saying that he’ll want to dramatically improve on this term’s 12th-placed Premier League finish.