Thiago Silva has hailed a “special moment” after signing a new contract extension at Chelsea.
The evergreen defender officially put pen to paper on a fresh one-year deal on Friday that will see him remain at Stamford Bridge until the summer of 2024.
It is rich reward for Silva, who remains an integral figure at Chelsea under Graham Potter and one of the first names on the teamsheet prized for his defensive qualities and strong leadership skills.
This latest extension will take the former Brazil captain within a couple of months of his 40th birthday, having first moved to the Premier League on a free transfer in the summer of 2020 during the reign of Frank Lampard after the end of his eight-year association with Paris Saint-Germain.
“I am honestly so happy to continue my career with the Blues,” Silva told the official Chelsea website.
“When I signed my first contract here, it was to just do one year. Now it is already the fourth! I could not have imagined that, but really it is a very special moment for me to sign and stay at Chelsea.”
Forever Blue @ChelseaFC #2024 pic.twitter.com/gwMjnXyllN
— Thiago Silva (@tsilva3) February 10, 2023
Silva has made 106 appearances in total for Chelsea across all competitions so far, winning the Champions League, Uefa Super Cup and Club World Cup during his time at the Bridge.
This season, he has remained a defensive rock during troubled times for the mid-table Blues on the pitch and it is testament to his enduring class that his place in the starting lineup has not once come under question despite Chelsea lavishing some £600million on new players in their first two transfer windows under the new Boehly-Clearlake ownership group.
He has most recently struck up a promising partnership with £35m January recruit Benoit Badiashile, with Wesley Fofana’s imminent return further boosting Potter’s defensive options.
“We’re delighted that Thiago has decided to continue with Chelsea,” said co-owners Todd Boehly and Behdad Eghbali. “He’s a world-class talent, as he’s proven over many years for club and country, and his experience, quality and leadership skills are vital to our vision going forward.
“We’re thrilled he has extended his contract with us and we look forward to more success with him ahead.”
Chelsea have several more pressing contract situations left to sort out ahead of a busy summer, with little progress being made on an extension for Mason Mount, who is out of contract in 2024.
Meanwhile, fellow midfielder N’Golo Kante is reluctant to accept a two-year contract offer with the option for an extra 12 months and could leave the club for free when his current deal expires in the summer.
Mateo Kovacic and Conor Gallagher have also had no contact over Chelsea contract extensions so far, with their deals due to expire in 2024 and 2025 respectively and the club targeting further eye-catching midfield signings in the summer after smashing the British transfer record in January with the £106.8m addition of Argentina World Cup winner Enzo Fernandez from Benfica.
