“I told Them to sign him” Chelsea Star midfielder laments
Thiago Silva, a seasoned defender for Chelsea, has admitted that he advised the West London team to recruit Lucas Paqueta.
On the day of the transfer deadline, West Ham announced that they had acquired Brazil midfielder Paqueta in a “club-record deal.”
The Hammers paid an initial £36.5m for the Lyon star in a deal that could increase to £50m.
Before moving to their London rivals West Ham, Silva said he had discussed the prospect of signing the midfielder with the Blues.
Silva told ESPN Brazil, “I knew he was ready to leave Lyon [so] had some conversations here, but sadly things didn’t work out.”
“We weren’t absolutely certain he would depart Lyon. Due to the team’s ailments, we had other priorities once the past week came around. This situation became more [clearer] .
We therefore required a striker and a new defender. It was a little less of a midfielder. I believe this is the reason why things didn’t progress nicely.