Chelsea confirm Thiago Silva injury in latest blow to Graham Potter

Chelsea’s player of the season has avoided a serious injury but is expected to be out for several weeks

Jamie Braidwood
Tuesday 28 February 2023 10:24 GMT
Comments
"We're suffering" - Chelsea boss Potter on another EPL defeat

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Chelsea have confirmed Thiago Silva has suffered damage to his knee ligaments, with the defender set to miss crucial matches against Leeds United and Borussia Dortmund this coming week.

The 38-year-old was injured during the first half of Chelsea’s 2-0 defeat at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday as the club’s miserable run of form under manager Graham Potter continued.

Potter is set to be given time by the club’s owners but that could change depending on the outcome of Chelsea’s next two home matches, against Leeds in the Premier League and Dortmund in the second-leg of their Champions League tie.

Chelsea trail Dortmund after losing the first leg 1-0 in Germany and with the Blues out of both domestic cup competitions and languishing in midtable in the Premier League, their season hinges on the outcome of the tie.

Although Silva has avoided serious injury, the Brazilian - who has been Chelsea’s player of the season - is set to be out for several weeks in what is a significant blow to Potter ahead of a crucial spell.

A Chelsea statement said: “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.”

Silva was replaced by Wesley Fofana in the defeat at Spurs, who played alongside Kalidou Koulibaly in central defence. Benoit Badiashile, who was one of Chelsea’s January signings, is unavailable to play against Dortmund as he was not added to the club’s Champions League squad.

Silva signed a new one-year contract with Chelsea earlier this month to extend his stay at Stamford Bridge until the summer of 2024.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in