“He reads the game so well” – Harry Redknapp in awe of ‘brilliant’ Chelsea star

Former Tottenham Hotspur manager Harry Redknapp was left in awe of Thiago Silva's display in Chelsea's goalless league draw against Liverpool at Anfield on Saturday (21 January).

The Brazil national team captain has proven to be a revelation for the Blues since he arrived on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in the summer of 2021. He has appeared in 105 games across competitions for the club during that time.

The 38-year-old is still going strong and has been a regular feature in manager Graham Potter's starting XI. He has appeared in all but two of his team's 20 league games this season.

The former AC Milan centre-back has remained Chelsea's most dependable defender despite Kalidou Koulibaly and Wesley Fofana's much-hyped arrivals last summer. While the former has failed to impress with his form, the latter has been injured since early October.

Silva put in one of his best performances this season when he helped the Blues keep a clean sheet against Liverpool at Anfield. He made six clearances, three blocks, and two interceptions, and completed 91% of his 91 attempted passes (h/t FotMob).

He was also adept at dealing with the threat posed by the fresh legs of Darwin Nunez, who was brought on in the 63rd minute. The Uruguay international, famed for his blistering speed, found it hard to get past Silva on a number of occasions

Redknapp has put the Brazilian centre-back in his Gameweek 21 'Team of the Week'. Justifying his inclusion, Redknapp wrote in his column on BetVictor:

"I feel like I put this guy in my side most weeks, but what a player he is. That was another brilliant performance from him, he reads the game so well. There was a few times in that second half where his 1v1 defending against the likes of [Darwin] Nunez was fantastic."

Here is Redknapp's 'Team of the Week' in full:

Nick Pope; Rico Lewis, Thiago Silva, Chris Richards, Max Wober; Douglas Luiz, Kaoru Mitoma, Jarrod Bowen, Marcus Rashford; Erling Haaland, Eddie Nketiah.

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Chelsea prepare new contract offer for Thiago Silva - reports

According to journalist Tom Roddy of the Times, Chelsea are preparing a new offer for Thiago Silva that would see him stay at Stamford Bridge beyond this summer.

His current deal at Chelsea runs out at the end of the season. The west London giants are seemingly impressed with the veteran centre-back's ability and attitude.

The defender is also open to such an extension at Stamford Bridge. He is reportedly keen to keep playing to the age of 40 and his family is happy in London.

Silva, who turns 39 in September, is still the captain of Brazil's national team, for whom he has made 113 appearances.