It must be incredibly frustrating for Chelsea fans to hear players like Ollie Watkins, one of the Premier League’s best strikers, say one of his hardest opponents is a player no longer at the club.
Chelsea have gone from title contenders, Champions League certainties and winning trophies to tenth place in the Premier League. The Blues will embark on the 2026-27 season without European football.
Are you taking Thiago Silva back at Chelsea? If so, in what capacity?🤔
Chelsea legend Thiago Silva leaves Porto and is now a free agent
Photo by Pedro Loureiro/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images
The Blues are no longer in a position of strength as BlueCo dawn on a new era in which they relieve some of their power to the manager. Xabi Alonso is the man to take Chelsea forward, as picked by BlueCo.
Alonso is tasked with taking Chelsea back to the recent successes of winning the Champions League in 2020-21. Thiago Silva started that day, and for many supporters, Chelsea miss the veteran defender.
Ollie Watkins says Thiago Silva is the hardest defender he’s faced
Silva played 155 times for Chelsea during a four-year stint in West London, helping his side keep a total of 51 clean sheets. One in three games, which is a lot better than four in Liam Rosenior’s 23 as boss.
Aston Villa v Chelsea - Premier League
Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images
Silva exudes class and still does to this day, turning out for Porto over the last six months. Speaking on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast this week, Aston Villa striker Watkins says Silva was the hardest player he’s faced.
Ferdinand asked: “Who is your toughest opponent?” before 2026 England World Cup star Watkins said: “In the Premier League, Thiago Silva. He was so clever. I played against him at the end of his career.
“But it still felt like he was 25. The best defenders are the ones who read the game; they’re clever in a way where they don’t get exposed,” Watkins continued, summing up just how much Chelsea miss Silva.
Chelsea have actually been linked with signing Watkins
It feels as unlikely as Chelsea splashing out a club-record £130m fee to sign Victor Osimhen. But the Blues are said to have internally discussed a move to sign Villa striker Watkins, who starred again this season.
Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins is being linked with a move to Chelsea!
He ticks every box 🔥
Ollie Watkins' Premier League stats
Photo by James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images
For six consecutive seasons in the Premier League, Watkins has reached double figures. Remarkably, the striker has missed just seven Premier League matches in those six seasons – playing in 221 out of 228.
In his last four seasons, he has scored 15 or more Premier League goals and clocked up a total of 108 goals in 278 Villa appearances. If Chelsea can somehow manage to do a deal, then they really should.
But even if Villa are willing to sell Watkins, which feels incredibly unlikely, the chances of Watkins wanting to leave Europa League winners Villa while they’re in the Champions League to join Chelsea are minimal.
Join Our Newsletter
Receive a digest of our best Chelsea content each week direct to your mailbox