"It's the first time I've seen something like this" – Chelsea star reacts to club's transfer activity in the January window

Chelsea defender Thiago Silva has expressed his opinion on his club's recruitment strategy in the recently concluded winter transfer window.

The Blues splashed a combined sum of over £310 million to sign eight players last month. They signed Enzo Fernandez, Mykhailo Mudryk, Benoit Badiashile, Noni Madueke, Malo Gusto, Andrey Santos, and David Datro Fofana, while also roping in Joao Felix on a loan move.

Speaking to the club's website, Silva shared his thoughts on Chelsea's exorbitant spending spree under their new ownership. He elaborated:

"It's the first time I've seen something like this in my whole career. This shows about the ambition of the club, how much the club wants to win. We had a lot of injury problems this year. A lot of new players arrived and that takes time to prepare and get used to."

Backing his new teammates to help the Blues this season, Silva added:

"We know we're not having the best season, but I really believe that the positive thing is: even if we don't start well, we can atleast finish well. So, that's what we need to learn as a lesson, try to get settled in as soon as possible, because there's no time left for us, because the Champions League will start again soon."

Asserting his role as a leader in the dressing room, Silva continued:

"We need everyone to be ready, be at the same page. We won't be at 100 per cent, but the knowledge of each other has to be important at this moment to build chemistry. I have my responsibility to understand that we have a young team now and that the team theoretically needs me and my help. For me to help my teammates, I need to be physically well, I need to be well recovered."

Chelsea are next scheduled to face West Ham United in their Premier League encounter at the London Stadium on Saturday (February 11).

Chelsea summer signing enduring a torrid time at Stamford Bridge, claims journalist

Speaking to Give Me Sport, reliable journalist Simon Phillips asserted that Kalidou Koulibaly is undergoing a tough spell at Chelsea. He said:

"I'm told that he's failed to settle in London and that's been the biggest problem for him. It's affected his form, his mentality and his confidence. You can see it all on the pitch when he does get picked."

Koulibaly, 31, has failed to impress since arriving from Napoli for £34 million last summer, scoring twice in 20 appearances in the process.