Thiago Silva blasts Chelsea’s ‘incorrect’ transfer strategy as Boehly-Clearlake sent clear summer warning

Thiago Silva has criticised Chelsea’s owners for their poor and ‘incorrect’ transfer strategy which has left the club with a bloated squad full of ‘amazing’ and ‘unhappy’ players.

Chelsea saw their Champions League dream ended on Tuesday when Real Madrid sealed a 4-0 aggregate win to progress into the semi-finals after winning, again, 2-0 on the night in the English capital thanks to a Rodrygo brace.

It means Chelsea will not play top-tier European football next season, a reflection of how this campaign has gone for the Blues, which can be described as chaotic, a mess and a season to forget.

Despite the £600 million transfer spend, Chelsea have sacked two managers, had two interim bosses, and are in the bottom half of the Premier League. Last summer and January saw an influx of names arrive in west London, but with few exits it has left the club with a squad size in excess of 30.

Silva, who turned 39 in September, has criticised the Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital ownership for their ‘indecision’ and warned them to implement a strategy and not to make the same transfer mistakes in the future.

As quoted by beINSPORTS, Silva told a group of reporters: “I think the first step has been made, an incorrect step, but it has been made. We can’t be blaming the managers if we don’t take responsibility. It’s a hard period for the club, with a lot of indecision.

“Change of ownership, new players arriving – we had to increase the size of the changing room because it didn’t fit the size of the squad.

“A positive point is that there are amazing players in the squad but on the other hand there are always players that are going to be unhappy. There is always going to be someone upset because not everyone can play. The manager can only pick 11 from a squad of 30-something – that’s tough.

“Some can’t make the squad, we signed eight in January, we need to stop and put a strategy in place otherwise next season we could make the same mistakes.”

However, the Brazil international did ask for the players to take responsibility for their part in Chelsea’s downfall this season despite Thomas Tuchel and Graham Potter’s departures.

He added: “Everybody talks too much about replacing managers. I think we, as players, must also take responsibility.

“We have had three managers this season, plus a fourth with Bruno where we failed to win. We have lost today and with Lampard, we have failed to win. Everybody is talking about the manager but we must look at what has been done wrong and try to change.”