Chelsea defender Thiago Silva came under fire following the Blues’ 2-1 Premier League defeat at the hands of Manchester United on Wednesday evening. And with the January transfer window fast approaching, Blues owner Todd Boehly and manager Mauricio Pochettino could be on the hunt for a replacement.
After the clash at Old Trafford, Liverpool hero Steve Nicol told ESPN FC: “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’s still working, but when you can’t move your feet, it takes too long.
“And when you’re playing against players like today and 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 make rash decisions and you give the ball away.” Chelsea could therefore be forced to act. And Express Sport takes a look at four players the Blues can sign next year to replace the Brazilian.
Jonathan Tah
Chelsea have been linked with Bayer Leverkusen centre-back Jonathan Tah this week. According to BILD Sport, the Blues want to sign the 27-year-old Germany international as Silva’s long-term replacement.
Tah, who stands at 6ft 5on, has made 324 appearances for Leverkusen since joining the club from Hamburger in 2015. He is a physical player who is confident in possession so could be just the person Pochettino is looking for as the Argentine attempts to sign someone who can match Silva’s output over the last few years.
Pau Cubarsi
Chelsea have also been linked with 16-year-old Barcelona defender Pau Cubarsi. The teenage sensation has featured eight times for his club’s reserve team Barcelona Atletic in the Spanish third division and appears to have a big future at the top of the game. According to Sport, Chelsea are leading the race to sign Cubarsi and could pick him up for between £8.7million and £13.1m due to a release clause in his contract.
Aymeric Laporte
If Chelsea are looking for a centre-back who already has plenty of Premier League experience, they could turn their attentions to former Manchester City star Aymeric Laporte. The 29-year-old won five Premier League titles and the Champions League during his time at the Etihad Stadium but left the club in the summer to join Saudi Arabian giants Al-Nassr. Laporte will be on huge wages in the Middle East, so could take some convincing to return to England. But if the Spaniard is still hungry to show what he can do at the highest level of the game, a move to Stamford Bridge could be of interest.
Marc Guehi
Chelsea have made plenty of mistakes in the transfer market in recent years. But few have been as costly as their decision to allow Marc Guehi to depart Stamford Bridge to sign for Crystal Palace in the summer of 2021. The 23-year-old has won nine England caps since joining the Eagles and has become one of the best centre-backs in the top-flight. So the Blues could approach the player with their tails between their legs in the hope that he would consider a return to the place where it all began.
