ESPN pundit insists Chelsea won’t solve defensive concerns with Thiago Silva

ESPN pundit Shaka Hislop does not believe Chelsea will overcome their defensive concerns unless they pursue a new goalkeeper. The west London giants recently landed the signature of Silva on a free transfer after the expiry of his contract at Paris Saint-Germain and he has put pen-to-paper on a one-year deal with the option for another 12 months.
Silva is currently approaching his 36th birthday but he has shown no sign of fading after starring in Paris Saint-Germain’s run to the Champions League final where they host to Bayern Munich. He will provide an instant upgrade at the heart of the backline, but Hislop does not feel the Brazilian alone can solve the defensive issues.

He added that a new goalkeeper is a requirement for Frank Lampard’s side particularly with the average displays of Kepa Arrizabalaga last term, he told: "I think the signing of Thiago Silva is a significant step in the right direction. [But] I think it counts for nothing if you, and in particular the centre-halves in front of him, don't have the trust in the goalkeeper behind them. That continues to be an issue. So while everything is starting to take shape, I still think there are glaring holes for Frank to address. [Replacing Kepa] was always going to be a bigger problem than I think many suggested or you would think.”

Arrizabalaga joined the Blues from Athletic Bilbao for a world-record £72m fee for a goalkeeper in 2018 but over the past two years, he has been inconsistent. During the recent campaign, he had a save percentage of only 52, which was the worst among the Premier League goalkeepers, who had played 10 or more games.
The Blues have already started the hunt for a new shot-stopper and Rennes’ Edouard Mendy has been earmarked as a potential target. Still, any move may be dependent on whether they can part ways with Arrizabalaga on either a temporary or permanent deal. He is currently attracting interest from Valencia and former club Bilbao.