Chelsea urged to sign 'new Thiago Silva' in January blockbuster double transfer

Chelsea have been told to back Enzo Maresca’s title charge with a new centre-back and goalkeeper in the January transfer window.

The Blues maintained their perfect record in the UEFA Conference League by defeating Shamrock Rovers 5-1, continuing some impressive form under Mauricio Pochettino’s summer replacement.

The head coach and squad are refusing to publicly admit so, but they are firmly in a Premier League title battle also.

Chelsea are just two points behind league leaders Liverpool, albeit having played a game more than Arne Slot’s outfit, but many are tipping them to battle the Reds all the way.

However, former club winger Shaun Wright-Phillips believes that two additions to the backline would be necessary in order to win a first league crown since 2017.

“Reece James is still injured, but Chelsea are still doing what they are doing,” Wright-Phillips told sportscasting.com. “The only question marks about this team are in defence and in goal. If a prime Thiago Silva was still there, if [Thibaut] Courtois was still there, then you’re thinking, Chelsea could probably go on and win the Premier League.

“I like the way that Enzo Maresca and his players have handled the title talk. They’ve said, ‘Don’t worry about all that, we’re just going to play our games’.

“Everyone has been so focused on [Manchester] City, Liverpool and Arsenal’s rivalry at the top, Chelsea are just cruising by, doing their business and winning the games that they are supposed to win.

“Now, everybody thinks Chelsea have an outside chance, so I want to see how they deal with that, because everybody’s talking about them rather than the other teams at this moment in time.”

Silva, who left Chelsea in the summer, was spotted back at Stamford Bridge cheering his former side on against their Irish opponents on Thursday.

His presence was vital in the four years he spent at Chelsea, which has been absent as Levi Colwill and Wesley Fofana stepped in to fill his shoes. While Robert Sanchez has not yet won over his doubters between the posts.

And Wright-Phillips thinks that Chelsea should forget signing another top striker such as Victor Osimhen and instead focus on defensive acquisitions.

“I think Victor Osimhen would be a top player in the Premier League, but I wouldn’t necessarily say that the striker position is where Chelsea should be prioritising in the next few transfer windows,” Wright-Phillips added.

“They let Thiago Silva go, but they didn’t replace him. I think they need more experience in the defence rather than in the striker position right now. They’re not struggling to score goals.

“That’s not a problem for them right now. The problem is they’re conceding goals. If they can cut some of those mistakes then again, we see a different Chelsea.”