Thiago Silva has aimed a brutal parting shot towards his Chelsea team-mates, calling out 'egos' in the dressing room.
Silva, 39, will depart Stamford Bridge when his contract expires next month, having spent four topsy-turvy seasons with the Blues. A Champions League winner in his first campaign, the Brazilian defender's third and fourth seasons in particular have seen Chelsea fall away from the elite of the Premier League.
Having witnessed the demise of ex-manager Graham Potter last term and Mauricio Pochettino's struggles this season, Silva has urged those who are staying at Chelsea beyond his exit to put their egos aside for the sake of the collective.
"These boys need to be aware that Chelsea has to fight for the top positions," the 39-year-old told Sky Sports. "If we take a little of our ego and put it in favour of the team, I think it will work. If we don't do that, the situation will hardly change unfortunately."
Silva, who's already agreed to rejoin former club Fluminense once the transfer window opens in Brazil on July 10, went on to say: "I knows what it means to wear a Chelsea shirt, you know. And if I have a message to send to the boys that are here today, I hope they understand that everything they did to get to Chelsea has to be worth it.
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"Because the season we're having is not worthy of Chelsea. It's not. And I think they have to do more next year, they need to do more. If you look at the games, the fans never left the team, never. We were in ninth place, eighth, right? And the fans were always there.
"They booed us off a little at the end of the match, but they're always there in the stands, always with 40,000, 45,000. If we were somewhere else, they could throw rocks at us - we know that happens in our country."
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Thiago Silva has had a mixed four years with Chelsea (Ryan Pierse/Getty Images)Boss Mauricio Pochettino believes that brighter days are ahead, though, saying in his final pre-match press conference of what's been a challenging first year in the dugout: "If you ask me if I'm happy with the way the team has evolved, yes yes [I am so happy].
"In the past 26-27 games, we are in the top four - but it's still not enough. We want to evolve and improve. But I am so proud [with all the circumstances]."
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