Liverpool legend backs Chelsea’s pursuit of Thiago Silva

Liverpool legend Steve McManaman has backed Chelsea’s pursuit of Thiago Silva. The Brazil international recently ended his association with Paris Saint-Germain after eight seasons and he has been tipped to join the Blues on a free transfer.

The move has come as a surprise for many with the west London side building up a young team under Frank Lampard but McManaman feels the move is worthy, considering football is played with the present in mind, he told BT Sport: "Football is all about the now. You can't plan about five, six or seven years because the manager might not even be there then. For the here and now he is an excellent defender."

Silva spent eight years with Paris Saint-Germain and recently captained them in their maiden Champions League final where they lost to Bayern Munich. The experienced centre-back had the opportunity to move to Fiorentina in the Serie A, but reports claim that he has chosen to test himself in the Premier League with the Blues.
The Brazilian has accepted a significant pay-cut and he is expected to join the Blues on a one-year contract with the option for another 12 months which can be triggered from either side. Hence, it’s a pretty good deal and it remains to be seen how Silva copes with the demands of the Premier League next season.
The Blues had an average defensive record last term as they conceded 54 times from 38 games and that was their worst-ever performance under the Roman Abramovich era. Still, they managed to qualify for the Champions League with the fourth spot and the onus now remains on making a decent challenge for the title and potentially winning a trophy. The club have already signed Timo Werner and Hakim Ziyech. They are now on the cusp of landing Silva, Kai Havertz and Ben Chilwell.