Paris Saint-Germain’s sporting director Leonardo has admitted the French Ligue 1 club made a ‘mistake’ in allowing Thiago Silva to leave for free last summer.
The 36-year-old signed for Chelsea in August after the Champions League final, Silva’s final game for PSG, and has already made a big impact at Stamford Bridge.
Silva left the French capital after eight years when his contract expired alongside Edinson Cavani, who has since joined Manchester United; and now Leonardo has admitted to the club’s official media outlets [via Daily Mail] that they may have slipped up.
He acknowledged: “It was a moment where we could not give them exactly what they wanted. It was a financial and generational problem.”
Leonardo, himself a former PSG and Brazil player, continued: “It was the moment to count on Marquinhos and (Presnel) Kimpembe. The decisions were difficult to take. Aside from that, we could have made a mistake.”
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The mention of a ‘generational problem’ suggests the French giants simply viewed Silva as too old to merit a new deal, although he continues to operate at the highest level as well as remaining part of the Brazil setup.
Given his early performances for the Blues, it seems almost certain there was a mistake made in Paris to let Silva leave, even though Thomas Tuchel’s side continue to dominate their domestic league.
Alongside the arrival of Edouard Mendy, Silva has helped to solidify the Chelsea defence, so much so that Frank Lampard’s side had gone five matches without conceding until Sheffield United scored at Stamford Bridge last weekend.
Aside from the headaches Silva has been experiencing and one early slip on his debut debut, the experienced defender’s introduction has been virtually flawless. His leadership and know-how at the heart of the defence will likely be a huge part of any success Lampard can bring this season.
