Chelsea have announced that the contracts of veteran duo Thiago Silva and Olivier Giroud have been extended by another year.
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One of these decisions was expected, the other was a shock.
Silva, 36, played a key role in Chelsea winning the Champions League and finishing in the top four, as the Brazilian defender was expected to extend his stay by a year as Chelsea could trigger an option clause in his contract.
The Blues were not expected to do the same on the contract of Giroud, 34, but they have and the French international will now likely leave Stamford Bridge for a transfer fee this summer.
Thiago Silva is a Rolls Royce
When it comes to Silva, his experience and class has been key and his enthusiasm for the club and to win is clear for all to see.
Since Thomas Tuchel arrived and Chelsea moved to a back three, he’s been flawless.
Silva, Rudiger and Azpilicueta have been regular starters at center back, while Andreas Christensen came on for Silva when he was injured in the first half of the Champions League final and had a fine second half of the season too.
Having Silva around to help develop the young talent will be huge and Tuchel knows him extremely well after he was his captain at Paris Saint-Germain in recent seasons. It is the type of deal which made sense for everyone.
Giroud deal secured with move in mind?
As for Giroud’s deal, it was revealed his contract was extended back in April when things were uncertain about next season.
The Frenchman hasn’t featured regularly since Tuchel arrived, with either Timo Werner or Kai Havertz preferred in the central strikers role.
But he did play more than Tammy Abraham, though, so maybe there is still a role for Giroud at Chelsea?
He doesn’t seem keen to play that bit-part role and has been linked with a move to some huge clubs across England and Europe, with the latest reports suggesting he could head to AC Milan.
Giroud was the top goalscorer for Chelsea in the Champions League with six goals, including four at Sevilla in the group stage and a brilliant overhead kick against Atletico Madrid in the last 16.
It made sense for Chelsea to trigger the option in Giroud’s contract, just like they did last season, as they will be able to get some kind of transfer or loan fee if he does move on this summer.
If there’s one thing Chelsea does better than anybody else in the Premier League, or maybe the world, it’s having plenty of players signed up and then loaned out or sold on for a profit, overall.
