Thiago Silva has warned Chelsea's new signings that it will "take some time" for the players to start understanding each other after the club spent more than £300million last month.
The Blues continued their breathtaking transfer business in since Todd Boehly bought the club with eight new signings arriving at Stamford Bridge in January. David Datro Fofana, Benoit Badiashile, Andrey Santos, Joao Felix (loan), Mykhailo Mudryk, Noni Madueke, Malo Gusto and Enzo Fernandez were all signed to try and give Graham Potter the tools to mount a late run into the top four.
Silva, who has only been at Chelsea for under three years but is now one of the club's longest-serving players, knows the difficulty of bedding in numerous new signings at one. The 38-year-old, who penned a new one-year contract last week, has sent a warning to the newbies.
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"I think the new signings are well-executed and well thought-out," Silva explained to Parimatch blog. "Of course, when new players arrive, the chemistry isn't always the best at the beginning. It takes time."
The Brazilian added: "The fact you play for Chelsea means these are great players, and I think the technical level increases more and more because there's greater competition and enthusiasm and the fight for each position increases. I think the only winner here is Chelsea by showing it's a club with great players. On the pitch, we, or whoever starts, will do the club justice."
Five of Chelsea's eight new signings started in Saturday afternoon's draw with West Ham United. The Blues showed glimpses of what they can offer against the Hammers, with Felix opening the scoring early on, but were ultimately left frustrated with the game ending 1-1.
Potter, who took over Chelsea in early-September following Thomas Tuchel's sacking, has a difficult job on his hands and accepted recently that long-term planning doesn't really exist at a club like the Blues. However, football.london understands Boehly and the Chelsea board are prepared to give the head coach the time he needs in order to put together the long-term project that has been discussed so heavily behind the scenes.
"Not enough time has passed to comment on something so important," Silva replied when asked how Potter compares to other great managers he's worked with in his career. "I don't like to make comparisons of people, of styles, of work. Everyone has their own way of doing things.
"However, in the short time I've had with Potter, I can see he is a great person, a great human being. On the pitch, he's a coach that shows you what you have to do and what you've been doing wrong.
"Off the pitch, he is an amazing human being which I think, when managing a football team, can actually be more important than being a coach. So he has these two aspects to him that I think are very important for someone in his position."
Chelsea take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League Round of 16 first-leg on Wednesday evening as Potter embarks on the knockout stage of this competition for the first time in his managerial career. Silva is expected to start at the back for the Blues at Signal Iduna Park as he continues to be the squad's most important defender despite playing in the latter stages of his career.
"I think the world today is conducive to this type of evolution of longevity within football, and it’s increasing," Silva said when explaining the secret to his longevity. "The player, from the moment they start preparing, takes care of themselves for the duration of their career and mentally prepares themselves that they need their body and physicality to perform well. By doing this, they are likely to have a longer career.
"From the moment we realise that we rely on our bodies, it gives us a better understanding and I think I’m reaping the rewards now. At 38-years-old I can keep performing at a high level as I have been doing."
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