Chelsea now have no warrior in their team of fledglings. Thiago Silva’s departing leadership skills will leave a void… and he could even claim to be in their modern best XI, writes KIERAN GILL

Chelsea are not only losing a classy central defender in Thiago Silva. They are losing more prestige, more experience and more professionalism than you fear they can afford in the midst of what we may as well call ‘Project Youth’.

Silva, now 39, has confirmed he will leave when his contract expires at the end of this season. He could have departed in January when clubs in his homeland came calling but he stayed, having agreed to help Chelsea through to the summer.

Silva insisted in his teary farewell that he will be back at Cobham someday, most likely in a coaching capacity. He started his UEFA B licence two months ago and manager Mauricio Pochettino has often trusted him to deliver speeches on his behalf.

That included at half-time of Saturday’s 2-2 draw at Aston Villa. Chelsea were trailing 2-0 at the time when Silva tried to stir his young team-mates into believing they could come back. It worked, as they went on to earn the least they deserved in a point.

It underlined his level of influence as a defender so iconic that there were Chelsea fans on Monday happily admitting someone must be cutting onions in their households upon hearing the news. So iconic that he has a song named after him by AJ Tracey and Dave which some players choose to perform for their initiation.

In a tearful farewell message to supporters, Silva dropped a hint he would one day return

So iconic that he could easily claim to be a starter in Chelsea’s best XI of the modern era. If only we could have seen him alongside John Terry in that all-star team.

Silva himself performed as reliably as ever at Villa Park, only days after the sad passing of his grandmother, Dona Maria. It is now unclear whether he will wear the blue of Chelsea again, having picked up a groin problem towards the end of that performance.