Thiago one of the few things Lamps got right

be European champions.

And they would have likely struggled to make the top six in the Premier League — as their form was in freefall when he left in January.

The transformation since just last January under Thomas Tuchel has been spectacular.

He inherited a strong squad, and has added to it well, but Tuchel's smarts is one of the main reasons why they look the team to beat in both England and Europe.

There i s one le gacy of Lampard’s time, though, that deserves to be acknowledged.

Thiago Silva was 37 on Wednesday and, when he signed in the summer of last year, some thought it was a panic buy by Lampard.

They figured that Silva was way past t his hi best b t and d that th t the th franf tic pace of the Premier League would catch him out.

That was the case in a couple of games early on but, once he got his bearings, Silva was imperious.

Majestic

He was majestic in last Sunday's win over Tottenham and looks as important to Chelsea now as Virgil van Dijk is to Liverpool.

When Chelsea made an approach to Silva, he was happy at Paris Saint-Germain but they had told him his contract was not going to be renewed.

Silva picked the brains of Brazilian team-mates Willian and

David Luiz — and both of them sang the praises of the west London club.

But it was Lampard himself who co nvinced Si lva t hat Chelsea was the final challenge of his club career he needed.

“As soon as I said yes, he sent me a picture of us both shaking hands as national team captains in 2013,” said Silva.

“He understood exactly what I needed at this stage of my career, probably because he had made a similar move when he was 36, from Chelsea to Manchester City.

“Marina [Granovskaia, club director] called me after I'd agreed, then passed me on to Frank.

“It was through a translator, because I still don't speak English and his accent is even tougher for me.

“He hit the nail on the head from day one, saying, ‘Thiago, you don't need to worry about your age — it's not a concern for me at all.

‘I’ll count on you absolutely, and I want to listen to what you have to say.’

“I was over the moon with that; knowing everyone at the club, top to bottom, wanted me here.”

From day one, Tuchel made the same commitment to Silva. He knows quality when he sees it, and he knows Silva very well from their time at PSG together.

Before moving to Paris, Tuchel was in charge of Borussia Dortmund and put a lot of trust in his defensive leader, Mats Hummels.

Indeed, one of the reasons why