Chelsea Football Club has completed the signing of Brazilian free agent Thiago Silva on a one-year contract, with the club having the option of a further 12 months for the former Parisian.
The 35-year old left Paris Saint-Germain after Sunday night’s Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich in Lisbon, Portugal. Chelsea fought off competition from Fiorentina among other clubs across Europe for the highly-rated seven-time Ligue 1 champion.
“I am so happy to be joining Chelsea. I am delighted to be a part of Frank Lampard’s exciting squad for next season and I’m here to challenge for honors. See you soon Chelsea fans, I look forward to playing at Stamford Bridge very soon,” Thiago told the club website.
Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia had this to tell the club website: ‘We are delighted to be able to add a player of Thiago Silva’s proven world-class credentials to our squad. ‘Having performed at the highest level for many years, we have no doubt his experience and quality will complement the many exciting talents we already have here’ she added.
The Copa America winner joins a long list of new signings that Frank Lampard’s side has managed to pull off this summer and is expected to use his experience to solve Chelsea’s undeniable defensive woes as they challenge Liverpool for the Premier League trophy next season. His strength, composure and technical ability to play the ball out from the back will make Chelsea a better team.
Thiago Silva’s career at a glance
Thiago started his career in the Brazilian amateur leagues before joining regional third-division side RS Futebol where his performances in midfield as they achieved promotion secured hum a move to the top flight Juventude where he switched to center-back at 20. He signed for Porto in 2004 and later Dinamo Moscow but this turned out to be a false start in Europe forcing him to move back to hometown side Fluminese. It is the three years back in Rio de Janeiro that helped him break into the national team squad thus earning a move to AC Milan and subsequently PSG where he became a household name in football.
