Chelsea could replace Thiago Silva with 16-year-old worth £13m
By Kian Long
Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino could be tempted to replace his ageing defender Thiago Silva with a young 16-year-old option worth £13m.
Thiago Silva is a legend of the game and deserves all the respect in the world for remaining one of the best defenders in the Premier League at 39 years old. However, Chelsea are aware that he can’t keep playing forever, despite what the signs may be showing right now.
Indeed, news broke recently that Mauricio Pochettino was prepared to let the veteran defender leave for free at the end of the season, given that this is when his contract expires. Pochettino’s thought process is that he can focus his team development plan on promoting youth players.
One young defender who is learning from Thiago Silva is Levi Colwill. The England international has picked up a thing or two from Silva, who will go down in the all-time greats when he eventually retires.
Gary Neville: “Chelsea still have a problem up front, they haven’t got a striker, and I still think they’ve got a problem with Thiago Silva’s age. He’s so important for them, but he is 39. And then the goalkeeper… Can he [Robert Sanchez] step up to be a good goalkeeper?” (Sky) pic.twitter.com/A6kg2QbwEo
— ChelsTransfer (@ChelsTransfer) October 23, 2023
Chelsea could sign 16-year-old Barcelona star Pau Cubarsi for £13m
According to a report by Sport (via 90min), Chelsea have set their sights on the 16-year-old centre back Pau Cubarsi. The Spanish youngster has a release clause which means he could be signed for somewhere between £8.5m and £13m.
To have a big release clause at that age means that Barcelona sees something in the 16-year-old. If any club knows the signs to look out for in a young player, it’s Barcelona. They have a rich history of promoting the best young players in the world, with Cubarsi showing the potential to join the list of successful Barcelona academy graduates.
Do you think Chelsea will sign Pau Cubarsi?