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The Brazilian says he was deemed surplus to requirements at Parc des Princes during the coronavirus-enforced break in the 2019-20 season
Thiago Silva has voiced his frustration towards Leonardo over the manner of his Paris Saint-Germain exit and explained why he chose to embark on the next stage of his career at Chelsea.
Silva’s trophy-laden eight-year spell at PSG came to an end following their defeat to Bayern Munich in last season’s Champions League final.
The Brazilian was not offered the chance to extend his stay at Parc des Princes despite appearing in 35 games for Thomas Tuchel’s side in 2019-20, and eventually moved to Chelsea as a free agent.
Silva racked up 315 appearances in all competitions for PSG and won 23 trophies in total with the club, including seven Ligue 1 titles.
The 36-year-old has now revealed that he was told his services would not be retained while taking in a lengthy spell in quarantine following the coronavirus outbreak, which saw the French top flight called off prematurely.
Silva believes PSG sporting director Leonardo handled his contract situation poorly, and that he deserved a more respectful send-off after his many years of outstanding service at the club.
The veteran defender told France Football: “It’s a situation that p*ssed me off. I really didn’t like the way it was conducted. Even if there was lockdown, things should have been done differently. I was in Brazil, in quarantine, when Leonardo called me to tell me that because of the pandemic and the difficulties…
“No, first, he asked me if I was OK to continue for two more months to compete in a possible [Champions League] quarter-final. I told him yes. But he told me that the club would not go beyond these two months. It would be two months and nothing else. It should have been done differently.
“All my career at PSG, I gave the maximum, I never cheated. It’s as if three matches from the quarter-finals changed everything? And everything I had achieved in those eight years didn’t matter anymore?”
Silva says his former team-mate Edinson Cavani was treated in the same manner, and has urged PSG to learn from their mistakes in the future when it comes to dealing with their more experienced performers.
“It is not consistent. Leo did this in an awkward and hasty fashion. Not just with me by the way. I also think of Cavani who is the top scorer in the history of PSG,” he said.
“I say this so that the club progresses and does not make these kinds of mistakes in the future.”
The centre-back added on why he decided to join Chelsea: “In truth, when I knew it was over with PSG, I always hoped for something big. At first, we were afraid that my age would be a drag and that the leaders would have negative prejudices. It’s very difficult to bounce back when you’re past 33-34.
“But I wanted to believe it, I prayed that God would find me a project that lived up to my ambitions. He heard me because Chelsea are the best in England.”
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