Mauricio Pochettino has been sent a timely reminder that Thiago Silva is still capable of playing a major role at Chelsea. The newly-appointed Blues boss has been tasked with the difficult mission of trimming down a bloated squad, and plenty of players are expected to leave.
While the veteran defender may not have time on his side, unlike his teammates who could be culled, he has great experience and strong leadership qualities which Pochettino will savour as he prepares to launch his project in west London. In order to fully implement his philosophy at Stamford Bridge, the former Tottenham boss must keep the fans onside.
Unfortunately for Graham Potter, he struggled in that department and Todd Boehly acted accordingly. So, Pochettino will need somebody who's just as impactful on the pitch as they are on the training pitches at Cobham – step forward Chelsea's player of the season – as voted for by the readers of football.london.
As voted for by 1000s of Blues fans, Silva was voted as the west Londoners' player of the season, winning over 59% of readers. Unsurprisingly, Enzo Fernandez placed second with 22% off votes, with Lewis Hall coming third (11%) and Kepa Arrizabalaga (8%) finishing fourth.
The Brazil international, who has 12-months remaining on his deal, featured 35 times for Chelsea across all competitions last term and helped the club venture into the Champions League quarter-final. Silva was a shining light in a miserable campaign and he often captained the side.
Despite having been given frequent starter last season, Silva is expected to take a step back and play an auxiliary role. Levi Colwill, who enjoyed a tremendous season long-loan at Brighton, will enter the fold, joining a handful of other young, talented centre-halves in Wesley Fofana and Benoit Badiashile.
With Pochettino typically favouring a back-four and Chelsea without European football, first-team minutes could be of the essence for Silva. But, as the Brazilian proved last season, he's facilitated the development of his teammates, acting as a fountain of knowledge.
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Just a couple of weeks after joining Chelsea from Monaco, Badiashile heaped great praise on Silva for his advice – on and off the pitch. Speaking to talkSPORT, the 22-year-old said: "First and foremost, it's a real honour to play alongside him.
"And do you know what? For a young player like me, he's someone that makes things easy. He's a legend, isn't he? He's a real leader, he's very, very experienced of course.
"Any of the advice that he gives me is always welcome, he's advised me not only when we've been playing - he's spoken to me during the game.
"But also before the game and in training as well. So he's someone that you can only learn alongside. And as I say, it's an absolute honour to line up alongside him."#
Who would you trim in Pochettino's shoes...?
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