Chelsea fans are set to pay tribute to Thiago Silva against Nottingham Forest this weekend.
A banner will be unfurled in the Matthew Harding stand to honour one of the standout performers in recent seasons. Since arriving on a free transfer in 2020, the Brazilian has surpassed all limitations expected - given he joined the club at 35.
Silva was integral to the Champions League-winning campaign in his debut season and has been an ever-present - and leader - since arriving at Stamford Bridge. However, the centre-back is expected to depart at the end of the campaign, with a return to Brazil mooted.
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The 38-year-old is one of the few players to openly criticise the decision-making at Chelsea under Todd Boehly. Silva said: “We can’t be blaming the managers if we don’t take responsibility. It’s a hard period for the club, with a lot of indecision.
“Change of ownership, new players arriving - we had to increase the size of the changing room because it didn’t fit the size of the squad. A positive point is that there are amazing players in the squad but on the other hand there are always players that are going to be unhappy.
“There is always going to be someone upset because not everyone can play. The manager can only pick 11 from a squad of 30-something - that’s tough. Some can’t make the squad, we signed eight in January, we need to stop and put a strategy in place otherwise next season we could make the same mistakes.”
Now, his three years in West London are set to be commemorated before the clash with relegation-threatened Forest. Silva has started Chelsea’s previous three fixtures since returning from a knee ligament injury.
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