Chelsea new-boy Thiago Silva has earned big praise from new team-mate Kurt Zouma following his summer transfer to Stamford Bridge.
The experienced Brazilian centre-back had a great career at Paris Saint-Germain prior to becoming a free agent this summer, which led to him making a move to the Premier League.
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In fairness, Silva did not look particularly impressive in his first outing for Chelsea, with West Brom punishing his sloppy play by taking a 3-0 lead at half time of their recent clash, though the Blues did manage to peg it back to 3-3.
Silva is clearly a big presence at his new club, however, with Zouma making it clear just how much he and the team’s other players seem to be benefiting from his experience and leadership.
“You can see straightaway, as soon as he walked through the door at Cobham, he gives advice to the players around him, he’s really good with people and you can definitely see he has very good leadership skills,” Zouma is quoted by the Metro.
“Everyone has welcomed Thiago into the group and we are all happy he’s with us at Chelsea.
“I’m very excited to work with Thiago, but I don’t think I’m the only one, a lot of the guys here at Chelsea feel exactly the same.
“We are all excited to play with him and to learn from him. He’s got great experience at the highest level, he’s won a lot of titles and last season he played in the Champions League final.
“For me, he’s got everything. He’s calm on the ball, he can defend very well, his positioning is great. I’m very happy he’s here and excited to learn from him.”
Chelsea fans will be pleased to hear this about Silva, who clearly has something to offer this side even if he’s joined towards the end of his career and is now some distance from his peak years.