Where Next for Thiago Silva?

4th October 2011 will be a dark day that Jack Transou will remember for the rest of his life. On that fateful day, Qatari Sports Investment bought Paris Saint-Germain, and it marked a new era of Parisian dominance in French football. While Thiago Motta and Alex arrived in the Winter transfer window, it was the following summer when PSG flexed their financial muscle. Many big names were brought into the club for then-big fees: Ezequiel Lavezzi was brought in for €26.5 million from Napoli, Lucas Moura cost €45 million from Sao Paulo, and Zlatan Ibrahimovic was purchased for €20 million from Milan. Joining him from Milan was none other than Brazilian international Thiago Silva, whose transfer fee was rumoured to be €42 million.

Unlike the other big-name signings who have since left the club or retired, Silva has remained at PSG and, together with Marco Veratti, is the longest-serving player at the club since the Qatari takeover. Well, after spending almost a decade in Paris, it looks like Thiago Silva will finally move on to greener pastures elsewhere after it was announced that PSG were not going to renew his contract. Even though he turns 36 in September, that hasn’t stopped clubs and reportedly, a host of suitors are lining up to acquire his services. If he remains fit, whichever club that buys him would have gained a solid centre-back who not only still has at least 1 to 2 seasons in him, but also a real leader in the dressing room and a great mentor for young defenders.

The question then beckons, what is the next best destination for Thiago Silva?

Reconnecting with Ancelotti at Everton

Carlo Ancelotti was the man who brought Silva to PSG from Milan, and signing the Brazilian rock at the back would undoubtedly be a real statement of intention for Everton. For several years now, Everton have been trying to break into the top 4 and are aiming to play Champions League football regularly. Yet despite spending loads in the transfer market, things haven’t always gelled well at the club. However, that may change under Ancelotti’s guidance, and he may finally transform the club into a real powerhouse in the Premier League.

This season, Everton have been really leaky at the back, and they lack a real physical presence in the team. Their poor defending was especially evident in their match against Newcastle, when ridiculous defending allowed the Magpies to score 2 goals in the 94th and 95th minute of stoppage time and draw the game, 2-2. Michael Keane had tons of promise when they first arrived at Goodison Park but he haven’t lived up to the hype. Yerry Mina is a decent option but he needs a good partner and that partner isn’t Keane.

Mason Holgate has shown that he has the potential to be an excellent centre-back in the future, but he needs a player who acts as both a reliable partner in defence and a mentor. None are as ideal as Thiago Silva. Just ask Marquinhos at PSG. Sure, the younger Brazilian was brimming with potential and was certainly a gifted footballer when PSG transferred him in. However, it was arguably spending time as Silva’s partner in the heart of defence that helped raise Marquinhos’s game to the next level.

With no transfer fee involved, Everton should be able to afford Silva’s staggering wages. Silva’s arrival could also be beneficial for Mina and Keane, who could benefit from Silva’s presence. More importantly, Silva would help Everton’s lack of depth in centre-backs. Mina, Keane, and Holgate are the only first-team centre-backs currently in the Everton squad, and Silva could provide more cover for that position. Thiago Silva also speaks Italian and he could help rein in Moise Kean.

Overall, a move to Everton would not only be beneficial to Everton but offer a similar kind of challenge for Thiago Silva to the one he had at PSG – helping to transform an above average team into a great one.

Becoming a Locker Room leader at United

For some time now, I have been saying that Manchester United lack experienced heads in the locker room. And I’m not talking about players who’ve racked up hundreds of games. I’m talking about consistent title-winners who know what it takes to win championships and cups regularly. Harry Maguire is a fitting captain for the club, but there still seems to be little locker room leaders at Old Trafford. Thiago Silva’s arrival would surely help plug that lack of leadership. After all, the Brazilian international has been captain for both club and country for several years now.

However, unlike Everton, United do have a wealth of defenders at their disposal. Even if the club does sell Chris Smalling, Marcos Rojo, and Phil Jones, they would still have Victor Lindelöf, Eric Bailly, Axel Tuanzebe, and Timothy Fosu-Mensah. Would it be wise for United to sign Thiago Silva, who would probably play for two seasons max? Such a move would not only alienate either Bailly or Lindelöf but also potentially stunt the development of Tuanzebe.

Furthermore, Silva may not be starting every game for the club. Supposedly, there are plans to partner Tuanzebe and Maguire together. If Thiago Silva is content with being a rotation player at the club, then a move to United might make sense. However, I feel that it would be a shame if he did not start games. Unless the club decides to sell Bailly or Lindelöf, a move to United would not be the most ideal for all parties.

Solving Arsenal’s Defensive Crisis

For the longest time, Arsenal have had a defender crisis at their hands. Sokratis and Mustafi have failed to convince that they deserve a spot in the starting line-up while David Luiz, Rob Holding, and Callum Chambers have all been mediocre at best. Arsenal have yet to effectively replace the defensive pairing of Per Mertesacker and Laurent Koscielny. There is hope for the future, however, with William Saliba and Konstantinos Mavropanos set to return to the Gunners next season.

In particular, a centre-back partnership of Thiago Silva and William Saliba would sound tantalizing to Arsenal fans. As things stand, Arsenal fans are eagerly waiting to see their new man Saliba in action. Touted as an exciting prospect, he ushers in hope for Gooners, who mostly are fed up with the club’s regular poor defensive displays. Like with Holgate, Silva would be an ideal mentor to a young talented defender like Saliba. Under the Brazilian’s tutelage, he could definitely raise his game to the next level just like Marquinhos and Presnel Kimpembe.

If Arteta feels that Saliba needs to be eased into the Premier League instead, the Spaniard could revive the partnership of David Luiz and Thiago Silva instead. Having played together for PSG and the Brazil National team, both players can top on their shared chemistry and act as a short term fix for Arsenal’s defensive issues. At the same time, Saliba and Mavropanos are groomed to replace them.

Then there’s Pablo Marí who Arteta is looking to sign permanently. A partnership between Marí and Silva could be interesting as well and perhaps better than a pairing of Silva and Luiz. Hence, if Arsenal plan to acquire Silva, they need to clear out the deadwood. Mustafi and Sokratis need to be offloaded while either Chambers or Holding should be sent out on loan. If not, the defence would be cluttered with players.

Short-term Cover for Barcelona

How has it gone wrong for Samuel Umtiti?

He was supposed to be Gerard Piqué’s successor but hasn’t delivered when it has mattered. Barcelona have reportedly slashed his asking price and it would seem that his days as a Barcelona player are drawing to a close.

If Umtiti does leave, and he probably will, Barcelona are only left with Gerrard Piqué and Clément Lenglet as experienced centre-backs. Yes, it is true that the Catalonians have Todibo next season, who will return from his loan at Schalke, and Barcelona B central defender Ronald Araújo, who has already featured once in the league this campaign. However, these players lack significant experience and are, quite truthfully, still not ready for consistent first-team football just yet. Even then, Barcelona are supposedly looking at selling the Todibo. If Araújo’s debut is anything to go by, he has a lot to learn. The Uruguayan debuted against Sevilla in October 2019, coming off the bench to replace Todibo in the 73rd minute only to be sent off 13 minutes later. The defender was all over Javier Hernandez, who was clear through goal. Even though it seems like Javier Hernandez made the most out of Araújo’s tugging, it is clear that the young Uruguayan does not possess enough experience yet. Hence, brining in a player like Silva makes a lot of sense.

In essence, Barcelona will replace Umtiti with Silva, albeit probably on a short term basis. Regardless of the length of his tenure at Camp Nou, the Brazilian’s arrival helps provide short-term depth in central defence. Besides gaining a mentor for the younger defenders, Silva’s arrival would give time for a young defender like Araújo to grow instead of rushing them into the first team. But Silva’s true purpose would be to buy Barcelona some time so that they can assess long-term options for central defenders instead of panic buying.

For years, Silva has faced Messi either on the cub level or internationally when Brazil and Argentina collide. To see both players on the same team though, now that would be interesting.

Reuniting with Zlatan and reviving Milan

Zlatan and Thiago Silva were playing together in A.C. Milan before they were both poached by PSG in the 2012 Summer transfer window. They played together in Paris for 4 years before Zlatan made a move to Manchester United in the summer of 2016. It would be the dream of every footballing romanticist to witness the reunion of these two formidable players. Even though they are in their mid to late 30s, both footballers are going strong.

Besides the prospect of playing alongside Zlatan again, what better way to finish off his career than to return to Milan and help them get back to their glory days. Milan today are a real shadow of their past and perhaps Silva’s return could help reinvigorate the club to it’s glory days. A partnership between Thiago Silva and Alessio Romagnoli could see Silva symbolically passing the mantle to the Italian international. Silva’s arrival would be timely given how like other clubs in this list, Milan lack depth in central defence.

A New Challenge in Japan?

Instead of a move to the Chinese Super League, which arguably pays more, many stalwarts have looked to Japan as the final destination of their playing career. David Villa, Fernando Torres, and Lukas Podolski have all played in Japan towards the latter stages of their careers. Currently, Andreas Iniesta still plies his trade in Japan and the J1 League has long known to offer a unique challenge for European footballers. After years of domestic triumphs with PSG, Silva has never won a continental competition at the club level. Could he fulfil this dream by joining a J League side and help guide it to an AFC Champions League triumph? Or think about the exciting prospects of Thiago Silva, Andreas Iniesta, and Thomas Vermaelen playing in the same team if the Brazilian joined Vissel Kobe?

Where to then?

Personally, I feel that Silva should make a move to Everton and link up with Carlo Ancelotti once again. Everton have the resources to build a solid team and Silva would definitely improve the current lacklustre defence. Besides linking up with Ancelotti, Everton also offers Silva the chance of regular first-team football – something that other clubs may fail to provide. However, Silva is but one man and for Everton to excel, changes need to happen. Top of that list would be to offload Michael Keane and bring in a new defender. The Merseyside club is rumoured to be after Gabriel Magalhaes of Lille and that would be a fantastic signing. Under Silva’s guidance, perhaps Everton will have a reliable defence in the future with Holgate and Magalhaes at the heart of it.