The Brazilian heir apparent is what the Blues are looking for.

In football, as in other sports, saying goodbye to a player, manager, or owner can frequently be the most difficult thing to handle. Chelsea has all too recently grown all too familiar with this pain.

In the case of the Blues, grief has resulted from witnessing club icons, Frank Lampard and Eden Hazard, leave the team without being replaced.

With Thiago Silva’s contract set to expire in June 2024, the west London team will need to get ready for the potential of Silva departing Stamford Bridge next summer. Silva is 39 years old.

The Brazilian won’t be in the same league as players like Hazard and Lampard, but he will leave a massive hole in Chelsea’s defense, and the Blues should have someone lined up to take his position.

Chelsea transfer news – Ousmane Diomande

According to sources from Portugal last month, Chelsea is interested in signing Sporting CP’s talented center defender Ousmane Diomande, but division foe Newcastle United will be a fierce opponent.

Diomande, who joined from FC Midtjylland in January 2023, made his Premier League debut last season as a bright, ball-playing center back, drawing interest from Arsenal in the summer. He appeared on 13 occasions.

Currently a consistent starter for the Portuguese powerhouses, the 19-year-old has gained an increasing number of fans after developing into one of Europe’s most gifted defenders.

Chelsea see the Ivorian as a possible heir to Silva’s throne, despite bringing in a number of center defenders since Todd Boehly took charge, such as Axel Disasi, Wesley Fofana, and Benoit Badiashile.

Diomande has a release clause of £69 million (€80 million), according to Sporting CP’s website. This means that Mauricio Pochettino’s team will need to prevail in a very competitive transfer market.

Ousmane Diomande’s style of play

Diomande’s primary qualities are his toughness, vision, and pace, but he has all the tools in his arsenal to develop into a full-fledged center back in the future.

The Ivorian needs to be at ease with the ball in a Sporting team that values possession, receiving it from his keeper and using his deft and confident passing range to split the midfield.

Pochettino uses a system in Chelsea’s current lineup that demands the defense to be at ease driving out with the ball. Silva has always been good at this, but in the last year, Diomande’s ball-playing skills have outperformed the Brazilians in most areas.

Thiago Silva’s possession statistics against Ousmane Diomande per ninety

The table above illustrates how Silva is statistically superior in both short and long passing accuracy, but Diomande makes more good moves when in possession and shows strength and power in his ball-carrying that will allow him to play well alongside Colwill at Stamford Bridge.

One of this generation’s best defenders, Silva turns 40 next year. When he does leave, there will be a big hole that needs to be filled, but journalist Antonio Mango has praised “phenomenal” Diomande for his ability to fill it.