´The club needs me´ – Silva expecting to pen new Chelsea deal in next few days

Thiago Silva expects to sign a new contract to extend his stay at Chelsea “in the next few days”.

The centre-back has been a key player for the Blues since joining as a free agent in August 2020 following the expiry of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain.

Silva signed an initial one-year deal with the club and helped Chelsea to win the Champions League in the 2020-21 campaign, after which he signed an extension until the end of this season.

With less than six months remaining on that contract, the 38-year-old revealed both he and Chelsea want him to stay with the club, and he anticipates putting pen to paper on a fresh deal very soon.

“We are talking about it,” Silva told ESPN. “Everything will probably happen in the next few days.

“My intention, and that of the club as well, is to stay together.”

Having lifted eight top-flight titles with Milan and PSG before his arrival at Chelsea, Silva believes his vast experience at the top level is an important asset for the Blues to utilise while he is still at Stamford Bridge.

The club brought in 21-year-old centre-back Benoit Badiashile from Monaco for £35million (€39.4m) in January, while they also splashed big money on Wesley Fofana at the start of the season.

Going strong into the weekend! pic.twitter.com/51aibmB6rp

— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) January 28, 2023

Silva hopes to continue his positive influence on Chelsea’s young central defenders, saying: “I know that the club needs me right now. I am here to be able to help, they are young players.

“I know that, with my experience, I can help in this process of rebuilding the club. I’m here for that, willing to do this, however, I know that my responsibility is very great.”

Chelsea brought in Enzo Fernandez from Benfica on deadline day for a British-record transfer fee of £106.8m (€121m), though fellow midfielder Jorginho departed the club to join Premier League leaders and London rivals Arsenal.

Silva understands why the Italy international moved, but acknowledged his team-mates will have to step up to fill the leadership void that the 31-year-old’s exit has left.

“[It was] for a direct competitor,” Silva added. “But these are football things, it happens. He would like to stay in England, because he has family nearby.

“These are things that we have no control over, but we also have to understand the player’s side.

“We lost one of our great leaders in the locker room, Jorginho, a guy who spoke a lot. This gap will remain, but we have to move on.

“We didn’t expect him to leave, [but] it happened. We must make up for his absence in the best possible way.”