Neymar’s role in Chelsea signing Thiago Silva from Paris Saint-Germain
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Thiago Silva’s fellow Brazilian Neymar was reportedly key in helping the defender decide to sign for Chelsea.
The 35-year-old centre-back has joined the Blues on a one-year deal that could potentially be extended by an extra 12 months if he impresses at Stamford Bridge.
The veteran was faced with a choice over his next move as his Paris Saint-Germain contract ticked down, and The Telegraph report that he consulted Neymar over just what he should do.
The former Barcelona man – who could have joined Chelsea when he moved to the Nou Camp in 2013 – was said to be highly enthusiastic about the prospect of the switch, and he encouraged Thiago Silva to make the move.
Meanwhile, the new man has been warned that he “is going to need an oxygen mask” at Chelsea due to the state of the club’s defending by ex-Blues midfielder Craig Burley.
(Image: AFP/Getty Images)
Chelsea conceded 54 goals en route to finishing fourth in the table last season, and Burley thinks those defensive issues won’t just go away in one summer.
“Thiago Silva is going to need an oxygen mask because there is only N’Golo Kante in there who has got any defensive qualities,” Burley told ESPN FC.
“That’s going to be the difficulty for Lampard, striking the balance.
“Mason Mount, who really flourished in his first season in the Premier League, is an attacking player, Kai Havertz played a lot of the season at Leverkusen as a striker, and then you add the front three in and it’s over to you N’Golo Kante because nobody else is going to be defending.
(Image: Chelsea FC)
“Striking a balance with [Mateo] Kovacic or somebody else in there is going to be key.
” Chelsea had one of their worst seasons defensively last year, they lost a heck of a lot of goals, so Lampard knows that he needs to make sure he solidifies his back line, which was a big problem for them.
“Chelsea are going to be great to watch, you just don’t know which way.”
Where will Chelsea finish this season? Have your say in the comments below
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