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‘He can’t move his feet’… ESPN pundit says £110,000-a-week Chelsea player is so slow now
ESPN pundit Steve Nicol believes Chelsea star Thiago Silva is just too slow for the Premier League now.
The Brazilian is one of the greatest defenders of this generation. He has been a star at every one of his clubs over the years, and he has been fantastic for Chelsea as well. However, it looks like his age is impacting his performances now.
ESPN pundit Steve Nicol says Chelsea star Thiago Silva is too slow
Chelsea signed Thiago Silva from Paris Saint-Germain on a free transfer back in 2020, and he has been one of their best players since.
The Brazilian reads the game better than most others in world football. He is incredibly intelligent and it is no coincidence that he has won over 30 trophies in his career over the years.
Silva is still a solid defender, but the big issue is he is 39 years old. He’s still better than many others at his age, but his pace isn’t quite the same as it was a few years ago.
That has led to a few mistakes this season, and Nicol has suggested that he is past his best now.
He said on : “Thiago Silva has been magnificent as a player but now, the problem for me is he can’t move his feet quick enough. I think his brain is still working, but when you can’t move your feet, it takes too long.
“When you’re playing against players like at Man United who just couldn’t wait to close the ball down, couldn’t wait to put you under pressure, then you end up getting caught with the ball and you give the ball away.”
Mauricio Pochettino needs to find Thiago Silva’s successor
Chelsea have four really good central defenders apart from Thiago Silva in Levi Colwill, Benoit Badiashile, Axel Disasi and Wesley Fofana.
All of them have the potential to become real stars, but three of the above four have had their problems in a Chelsea shirt so far.
Colwill has been fantastic, but both Badiashile and Disasi haven’t been consistent enough. Fofana, on the other hand, has had terrible luck with injuries, having missed 44 games for club and country since the start of last season.
Silva is expected to leave Chelsea when his contract expires in the summer, and it will be interesting to see who will take the £110,000-a-week () Brazilian’s place in the side. Mauricio Pochettino may well have to go out and sign another defender to fill the void.