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Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo has hinted that the Ligue 1 side regret letting Thiago Silva leave. The Brazilian has settled in well at Chelsea and is proving to be an excellent signing for Frank Lampard at the moment.
Thiago Silva was at PSG for years before running down his contract and moving to Chelsea for free this summer. At Stamford Bridge, the center-back has brought solidity to the back four and boosted their confidence.
Reports suggest that PSG were unwilling to match the demands of Thiago Silva and thus let him leave in the summer. The sporting director has now confirmed it and said it was 'financial and generational' issues that lead to the defender's departure.
Leonardo was quoted by Get French Football News saying:
"At one moment, we have to say 'what are we going to do.' We spoke clearly with them… It was a moment where we could not give them exactly what they wanted. It was a financial and generational problem. It was the moment to count on Marquinhos and Kimpembe. The decisions were difficult to take. Aside from that, we could have made a mistake."
PSG's loss was Chelsea's gain, and Frank Lampard has kept praising the Brazilian for his commitment and work rate in defence. After the big win against Sheffield United, the Chelsea manager said:
"I agree the teams who achieved in recent modern-day times have individuals or pairings that set those kinds of standards, it's imperative and we know the importance of defending well to try to win trophies, particularly Premier League titles. But they do also need support behind them, around them, in front of them. When you look at the performances of Thiago Silva in his early games, the impact I keep talking about him having, he can be a big deal for us. But we need a lot more than that, of course, we need a lot more, so I don't want to crown him with anything now."
Thiago Silva joined Chelsea on a one-year deal. The club do have the option of extending it by another year, and looking at the way the 36-year-old is playing, the contract extension is bound to be announced before January.
