Chelsea superstar snubs chance to become captain during successive games after Reece James injury

Chelsea defender Thiago Silva has twice turned down the opportunity of wearing the captain's armband for the Blues in their last two games this season.

Silva, 38, was snubbed by head coach Mauricio Pochettino when he announced who will be the club's captain for the 2023-24 football campaign.

The Argentine tactician opted to name 23-year-old right-back Reece James as the club's captain, taking over the role from Cesar Azpilicueta, who left the Blues this summer.

Pochettino also named another defender in Ben Chilwell to take charge as the team's vice-captain. The decision, however, did raise some eyebrows from a couple of Chelsea supporters. Many believed that Silva would have been considered to lead the team, in some capacity.

Fast forward to the club's last two PL games, the veteran Brazilian defender has been offered the opportunity to wear the armband but seems to be less interested in having it.

Following the injury suffered by the team captain James, vice-captain Chilwell has been the one leading Chelsea in their last two games.

The English defender has also been substituted in those two games against West Ham United and Luton Town. While Chilwell has on those two occasions handed the armband to Silva before going off, the Brazilian, in return, opted to give it to Enzo Fernandez.

It's still not known why Silva has chosen to let Enzo wear the armband in his place, despite being offered the opportunity by vice-captain Chilwell on two occasions.

It will be interesting to see if the Brazilian would give an explanation for his actions or possibly, doesn't feel much interested in wearing the armband in an unofficial capacity.

Silva has started all three of Chelsea's PL games this season, helping the Blues pick up four points from a possible nine.

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Mauricio Pochettino lavishes praise on Chelsea striker

Blues boss Pochettino was full of praise for Senegalese international Nicolas Jackson, who has been impressive since joining the west London giants this summer from Villarreal.

Jackson, 22, got off the mark for Chelsea in their last PL game against Luton Town at Stamford Bridge, as he grabbed the Blues' third goal of the night.

He has also been very much impressive in their other PL fixtures against West Ham United and Liverpool. Speaking about the £30 million signing, Pochettino said, via the club's official website:

"We are not asking for him to run a lot and press and recover the ball, he does it because it’s his quality. We saw when we signed him. That is fantastic because his work ethic is amazing, and then to have the quality because he is fast, runs in behind the defensive line and has the quality to get the ball into the feet. It was only a matter of time before he was going to score goals as well."

He continued:

"It’s difficult to find a player like him in the market. For me, he has the potential to be one of the great Premier League strikers. He only needs time and we won’t rush with him. We will give him time and space to grow. His qualities are fantastic."