Thiago Silva is undoubtedly one of the first names on the Chelsea team sheet. The 38-year-old is the epitome of ageing like a fine wine and he has a new burgeoning partnership in the Blues' defence. Benoit Badiashile was one of the eight players signed in January and he has settled seamlessly into the Premier League.
Arriving from AS Monaco for £35million, Badiashile has started Chelsea's last three Premier League games with his arrival perfectly coinciding with Chelsea's run of three consecutive clean sheets. As a left-footed young defender, Badiashile is the complete opposite of Silva and that contrast has certainly helped the duo shine in recent weeks.
Badiashile is contracted to Stamford Bridge until 2030, while Silva will see his current deal expire at the end of the season, although, from the man himself, an extension being agreed looks likely.
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"We are talking about it [a new contract]," he said as quoted by Chelsea's official website. "Probably everything will happen in the next few days. My intention and the club's intention are the same: to stay together.
"I know that the club needs me at this moment, I'm here to help, there are young players. I think that with my experience I can help in this process of rebuilding the club. I am here for this, willing to do this. But I know that my responsibility is huge. I know we have a lot of work ahead of us."
Despite their £323million spend in January, the Blues struggled to dominate proceedings against Fulham on Friday night. Mykhailo Mudryk was a surprising half-time substitution on the same day it was confirmed that Badiashile, despite starring in his three Premier League starts, would not be in Graham Potter's Champions League squad for the knockout stages.
As per UEFA rules a new squad must be submitted after the January transfer window where only three new signings can be included. Those spots went to Joao Felix, Mudryk and Enzo Fernandez, likely because of their experience in Europe's elite competition.
With 33 first-team players now in SW6, there will likely be many occasions where some are disappointed to be subbed off or miss out entirely. Alluding to that stat, Gary Neville sung the praises of Badiashile and Silva, handing the latter a key role for the final few months of the season.
"The big positives for me were the centre-backs," Neville said on Sky Sports. "I thought Thiago Silva was sensational, he just impresses me every time I see him and he’s just a world-class player, obviously.
"You just think about him tonight, he could be so important - he is so important to them. He has to somehow hold that dressing room together because there’s going to be some very upset, disappointed, dejected characters."
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