Thiago Silva joins Chelsea on a free transfer, signing a one-year deal

Chelsea have completed the signing of Thiago Silva, who joins on a one-year contract, with the club having the option of a further 12 months.

The Brazilian spent eight years at Paris Saint-Germain, winning seven Ligue 1 titles, with the former PSG captain playing his last game in last week's Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich.

Silva's signing follows the addition on Wednesday of Ben Chilwell to the squad and is the latest in a long line of Brazil internationals gracing the pitch for Chelsea. Malang Sarr also joined this week and will be on loan in 2020/21.

"I am so happy to be joining Chelsea," Silva said. "I am delighted to be a part of Frank Lampard’s exciting squad for next season and I’m here to challenge for honours.

Chelsea director Marina Granovskaia said: ‘We are delighted to be able to add a player of Thiago Silva’s proven world-class credentials to our squad.

"Having performed at the highest level for many years, we have no doubt his experience and quality will complement the many exciting talents we already have here. Thiago will be an excellent fit and we hope he can add some new trophies to his impressive list of honours."

Frank Lampard's revolution at Chelsea has centred around young, vibrant talent. On that basis, then, the arrival of a 35-year-old represents something of a surprise. However, when you look at the paucity of alternatives out there, signing such a experienced and talented player on a free transfer, regardless of his age, looks like great business for Chelsea.

Chelsea needed defensive reinforcements. There is plenty of young talent in there - Fikayo Tomori, Kurt Zouma and Andreas Christensen - but they lack a central defender to guide them. That's where Silva comes in.

His defensive qualities, coupled with his ball-playing ability, make him a good fit for Lampard's side but what should be even more useful is his experience - especially in a Chelsea backline which lacks it.

More pertinently, what other option did Chelsea have? How any top quality centre-backs are available at the moment? Kalidou Koulibaly is a wanted by many clubs, mainly because of a lack of other options in a depleted market. Signing Silva, therefore, becomes something of a no-brainer.