Chelsea manager Frank Lampard reportedly wants to use his new signing Thiago Silva as his “unofficial assistant” on the pitch, as well as a key squad member.
The 35-year-old is clearly the odd one out from the list of Chelsea’s summer signings.
The likes of Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Ben Chilwell, Malang Sarr, and even Hakim Ziyech to a certain extent, were all brought in as parts of the club’s long-term project.
Silva, however, is seen by some as an attempt to plug the hole in Chelsea’s problematic defensive wall — a short term fix.
However, according to a report from the Telegraph, Lampard might have a clear plan for the Brazil international.
The Chelsea manager reportedly told Silva in their previous discussions that he wanted the defender not only because of his playing ability but also influence and winning mentality.
The report even claimed that Lampard has a plan to use Silva as a de facto member of his coaching team and his unofficial assistant on the pitch.
The defender himself has reportedly been making effort to suit the leader role as he has worked intensively in learning English, similar to how he learned Italian at Milan and French at Paris Saint-Germain, the report added.
This claim might fit what former Chelsea striker Nicolas Anelka said about his former teammate.
“I think Frank is clever, he knew what he needed to be able to win and compete against big teams and you need experience,” he told Stadium Astro a few days ago.
“When I was playing for Chelsea and Arsenal, we had a young team but also experienced players.
“You still have space for the youngsters to play, they just have to be strong mentally to compete every week.
“This is football, you always have to compete to be able to play. When you’re at a big club, it’s like that.”
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