Chelsea confirm Thiago Silva suffered knee ligament damage during Tottenham game

Chelsea defender Thiago Silva picked up a knee injury during last weekend’s 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur. 

The West London club have now confirmed the knee ligament damage but haven’t given any timeframe on the 38-year-old’s return. 

Some reports suggest the experienced defender could reportedly be sidelined for as long as six weeks. 

Silva started the Spurs game on Sunday but was forced off after just 19 minutes, with Wesley Fofana replacing him. Losing him so early was a blow for the visitors as the Blues lost their rhythm after his departure. 

Oliver Skipp broke the deadlock with a superb shot just after the interval before Harry Kane sealed victory for the hosts with a late second. 

Chelsea have released a statement on their website: “Having sustained a knee injury during the first half of Sunday’s match against Tottenham Hotspur, Thiago underwent further assessment and a scan on his return to the training centre on Monday. 

“Scan results from those assessments have confirmed damage to Thiago’s knee ligaments and he will now work closely with the club’s medical department during his rehabilitation to return to action as soon as possible.” 

Big Blow for Chelsea 

Silva joined the Blues in the summer of 2020 from Paris Saint-Germain. 

The Brazilian hit the ground running at Stamford Bridge as he established himself as a very important member of the first-team, making 34 appearances in all competitions in his debut season. 

The 38-year-old also started the Champions League final against Manchester City but went off injured in the 39th minute. However, his side ultimately won the important game with Kai Havertz scoring the decisive goal. 

Silva made 48 appearances the following season, with 32 coming in the Premier League. 

He also made an impressive start to the 2022-23 campaign, starting 20 matches in the English top-flight. 

The Brazilian is now 38-years-old but he is still playing excellent football. 

His amazing performances convinced Chelsea to hand him a one-year contract extension this month, with the new deal set to keep him at the club until summer 2024. 

However, Silva will now remain sidelined for up to six weeks due to his recent injury. 

He will certainly miss Chelsea’s next fixtures against Leeds United in the Premier League and Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. 

Huge Pressure on Graham Potter

The current Chelsea boss is facing immense scrutiny after the latest defeat at Tottenham. 

The English boss made several changes for Sunday’s game after the 1-0 home loss against Southampton. However, the result was still the same. 

The latest defeat leaves them 10th in the league standings, with 14 points behind the Champion League places. 

They are enduring a miserable run of form, winning just two of their last 15 top-flight games. 

Potter is very unlikely to survive if Chelsea loses the last 16 tie against Dortmund. 

The German outfit have a 1-0 advantage after they edged the first-leg of the round of 16 tie at the Signal Iduna Park.