For former Chelsea striker Tony Cascarino, it is quite clear who the best defender at Stamford Bridge is.

At 39, Thiago Silva is still going strong. In total, the centre-back has made 21 appearances this season, which includes Chelsea‘s 4-0 win against Preston North End in the FA Cup yesterday.

Silva came on as a second half substitute and managed to score. And this morning, speaking on talkSPORT (07/01/2024 at 06:55), Tony Cascarino has hailed the Brazilian as the Blues’ best defender.

As things stand, Silva is set to leave Stamford Bridge at the end of the season, with his £110,000-a-week contract (Spotrac) expiring then.

However, according to journalist Simon Phillips, Chelsea have discussed internally the possibility of retaining his services.

Tony Cascarino hails Thiago Silva as Chelsea’s best defender

Cascarino has not been too impressed with Chelsea’s defence this season, but he does not seem to have too many issues with Silva.

On the Blues’ backline, he said: “They give away goals, defensively they’ve been poor. Look, Thiago Silva is still Chelsea’s best defender and he’s 39 years old.

“Some of the younger players now have got to show that they’re ready to wear the Chelsea shirt and show the experience and stature to be a Chelsea player because this club has had a lot of success over the last couple of decades.”

Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty ImagesIs Thiago Silva still Chelsea’s best defender?

Without a doubt. Silva has something a lot of this Chelsea defence do not possess, experience.

He may be turning 40 soon, but the Brazil international is still someone who is more than capable of dealing with danger.

For example, in Chelsea’s last Premier League fixture, a 3-2 win against Luton Town, Silva made the most clearances in the game (WhoScored).

When it comes to the former Paris Saint-Germain captain, age really is just a number. The Blues would be wise to keep hold of him for at least another season.