Former French international Emmanuel Petit does not agree with Paris Saint-Germain’s decision to not offer a contract extension to now-former defender Thiago Silva.
The longtime PSG defender departed from the club earlier this week following the UEFA Champions League final loss to Bundesliga side FC Bayern Munich. Silva’s contract had expired, and PSG remained firm on its decision to let Silva leave the club as a free agent. Petit was a fan of Silva’s and as a former defender, he can relate to the challenges that the Brazilian defender has faced over his career. In speaking to RMC Sport (via Canal Supporters), Petit analyzed Silva’s style as a defender and noted that the club will have a difficult time replacing his presence as a leader.
“I found him to be a rough defender, elegant and intelligent in his movements and positions,” Petit said. “Afterwards, it is true that he had small weaknesses from a mental point of view but overall he always reassured me in the big deadlines. It will be difficult to replace him with his leadership.”
Petit sides with the talking point that Silva still had much to offer to the club. He spoke about why Leonardo, PSG’s sporting director, should have extended his contract.
“I am disappointed with Leonardo’s decision not to extend it,” Petit said. “He was always dashing, he had no particular problem during the recovery and God knows that at that age when you are absent for months of competition, it is very hard to return to a suitable level quickly. And for him, we did not see a problem at that level.”
Silva’s PSG run may be over, but he can now attempt to establish a new legacy with Chelsea.
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