Chelsea star Thiago Silva admits he would like to return to his childhood club Fluminense
Chelsea star and Brazilian veteran Thiago Silva has revealed he would like to return to his boyhood club Fluminense despite his family wanting him to stay at Chelsea for the foreseeable future.
The 38-year-old remains the senior most player in the Chelsea squad and will be part of the Blues’ rebuilding phase under Mauricio Pochettino. As a veteran, Silva will be expected to don a leadership role, especially following the exit of Cesar Azpilicueta.
Following the departure of the Spaniard, Silva could be handed the captain’s armband for the following season. Having worn the armband both at AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain, he is not new to leadership and knows how to inspire his teammates.
The former PSG centre-back will now enter his fourth season as a Chelsea player after extending his contract for another year last September. At least for another year, he will be expected to deck out in Blue.
The 38-year-old continued to perform at a high level despite the club’s terrible season, and hopefully, he will continue that trend in the next campaign as well. However, his game time may be curtailed because Pochettino may favour young defenders more. Speaking to the media after Chelsea’s 5-0 win over Wrexham, (h/t Football.London), the centre-back said:
“Everyone knows how much I would like to return to Fluminense, but today it’s hard to talk to my family [about it] because my children don’t want to live in Brazil. It’s a very complicated situation, but we still have a year to reflect and understand what we’re going to do next year.”
Silva still has tremendous defensive abilities at the age of 38, and due to his leadership characteristics, he will be crucial to the team both on and off the pitch the following season. For many young players, especially centre-backs, who desire to elevate their game, he will serve as a role model. Wesley Fofana tore his ACL, and if Chelsea fails to find an alternative, Silva might have to play more games than he originally envisioned.
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The upcoming campaign might be his last at Chelsea, in which case we would need to find a replacement. Replacing a defender of Silva’s calibre will be challenging. But at least for another year, we can rest assured retain his services. Given the impact he has had at Stamford Bridge, it makes sense for us to let him end his career at Fluminense should the opportunity arise.