Chelsea manager Frank Lampard has admitted that he loves working with Thiago Silva, who has made a colossal impact since he joined the club in the summer.
After leaving Paris Saint-Germain at the end of the 2019/20 season, the Blues moved to sign the Brazilian defender on a free transfer and there were question marks over whether or not the veteran could make the transition to the Premier League.
The 36-year-old is a high-profile player that has been one of the world’s very best centre-backs in the past decade and he decided to take on English football for the first time in his career.
It’s an eye opener to see that Chelsea’s defence has kept six clean sheets in the seven games he’s played so far, which is remarkable considering how vulnerable the backline has been in the past 12 months.
Lampard has been discussing Silva ahead of the Premier League fixture against Sheffield United this weekend and has explained what kind of impact he’s making in the squad.
“I think players look up to him and how he goes about his daily business and how he performs. It’s great for younger players, every player in the squad – it’s certainly a pleasure to coach and manage a player with that much intensity and wanting to play at the highest level,” Lampard said, as quoted by Football.London.
“Even at his age, the age doesn’t feel a big deal. We are managing him slightly. When you look at his performances and how he trains, it’s just been a real positive story so far and long may that continue, not just for him, but the team.”
Chelsea made plenty of brilliant signings in the window with the capture of some exciting young players, but in Silva they’ve now got a defender that has seen it all and has surprised many with his performances so far.
He’s such a composed footballer that has helped tighten up defensively and he reads the game extremely well.
It’s vital the Blues have him fully fit for the Premier League matches during the next couple of months, so managing his game time elsewhere makes perfect sense and is wise from Lampard.