How Neymar Convinced Thiago Silva to Join Chelsea
By Tom Gott
Brazilian centre back Thiago Silva put pen to paper on a contract with Chelsea after former Paris Saint-Germain teammate Neymar enthusiastically convinced him to join the Blues.
The 35-year-old was approaching the end of his deal in Paris and was always expected to walk away after the Champions League final, although PSG did fail with a late plea for the veteran defender to stay.
By that point, Silva had already given his word to Chelsea and was looking forward to the future, and according to The Telegraph, Blues fans have Neymar to thank for that as the winger helped convince Silva that moving to Stamford Bridge was the kind of opportunity which might never come around again.
Neymar, who was rumoured to be close to joining Chelsea before heading to Barcelona in 2013, made no secret of his insistance that Silva should take the move, and after that conversation, Silva sought out Willian for further advice.
The new Arsenal signing is said to have joked: "If I'd known you were moving to Chelsea, I would have stayed there after all."
That's not to say that Silva wasn't convinced by Chelsea early on. The Blues reached out to super agent Pini Zahavi, who is close with many at the Bridge, and asked him to present an offer to Silva, who was immediately excited by the prospect of sealing the move.
Silva has previously spoken of his admiration for both Chelsea and Blues boss Frank Lampard, and it is understood that the centre back is looking forward to working under the former midfielder over the coming season.
Lampard has offered Silva the chance to be a sort of assistant manager at Chelsea. He won't call the shots all day, but he will be tasked with organising the team's young core on the pitch and instilling his undying determination to win in them all.
Silva sees the move as the perfect circle for his career. Not only does he want to test himself in the Premier League, but the chance to take up a role with so much senior authority is something he could not turn down.