Chelsea head coach Mauricio Pochettino addressed the rumours of veteran defender Thiago Silva being frustrated at the club ahead of their clash against Aston Villa.
Silva has been one of the key players in Chelsea's working machine since he joined the club in 2020. After the departure of Cesar Azpilicueta, captaincy within the club became one of the biggest talking points of the town.
Silva was one of the leading contenders to get hold of the captaincy armband but Reece James was chosen ahead of the Brazilian.
On his decision to give James captaincy, Pochettino said, "I explain the truth like always. For me, it was nominating Reece [James], I think is the perfect captain of course and then an English player with experience is Chilly [Ben Chilwell]. And then I think Thiago is because of experience; today is his birthday, 39, and I think he is an experienced player that doesn’t need the armband and then I think it’s important to build something for the future", Goal.com reported.
Addressing rumours about Thiago being frustrated, the Argentine said, "Why is Thiago here? Because he wants to stay here. He stayed here because the club wanted him to stay here. They extended the contract. But I think Thiago knew the project very well when he extended the project last season. He knew the project for the future. But now you are asking me things that I cannot answer. When he extended the contract I wasn't here. If he is here he wanted to stay and the club wanted him to stay."
Chelsea will host Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge on Sunday.
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