Chelsea defender Reece James had admitted that it's "harder to communicate" with Thiago Silva due to the language barrier, but has described the ex-Paris Saint-Germain star as a leader.
Silva joined Chelsea as a free agent on August 28 after being let go by PSG at the end of the 2020-21 campaign.
The 36-year-old helped the French club reach the Champions League final last season, but was not offered the chance to extend his stay at Parc des Princes.
The Blues handed Silva the opportunity to continue playing at the highest level in Europe, tying him down to a one-season deal with the option of an extra year.
The veteran centre-back has already featured in two games for Frank Lampard's side, but didn't cover himself in glory on his Premier League debut against West Brom.
Silva was handed the captain's armband for the trip to the Hawthorns, but his poor control gifted Callum Robinson his second goal of the game for the Baggies as they held Chelsea to a 3-3 draw.
James says although it has been difficult to converse with the Brazilian at the start of his Stamford Bridge career, he has still been able to transmit his experience and leadership qualities in the dressing room.
"He’s obviously a legend of the game," the Blues' full-back told the club's official website of his new team-mate. "He’s played for numerous years at the highest level, been captain of Paris Saint-Germain and Brazil, and he’s got so much experience.
"His English is not the best yet so sometimes it’s a little bit harder to communicate but there’s loads of other players who can speak both languages and he’s helped us all a lot.
"You can tell he’s a leader by the way he carries himself around the building and in training. He talks and helps everyone with his experience."
James added on errors like the one Silva made against West Brom being over-scrutinised online: "When someone makes a mistake, it’s always highlighted on social media," he says.
"If the fans were there live in the flesh at a game, I don’t think they would have the same views but that’s just part and parcel of it."
The 20-year-old also discussed the key role Lampard has played in his recent development at Chelsea, while outlining his ambition to get his hands on major silverware in the near future at the Bridge.
"He’s believed in me from the get-go," James says of Lampard. "I’ve started all three league games this season and I’m obviously thankful for that. He’s helped me a lot, he’ll continue to help me and we’ll grow as a team.
"It’s helping with everyone coming back from injury and getting up to full fitness. It’s only going to help us and push players to play and train harder as well so it can only have a positive effect.
"We’re not here to take part; we all want to win trophies and with the group of lads we have there’s no reason why we can’t do that. We go into every game trying to win and that’s the aim this weekend - to go and get the three points and start a good run."
