Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva has criticised the quality of the English Premier League ahead of his team’s Champions League fixture against Manchester City. He urged team-mate Zlatan Ibrahimovic to avoid accepting offers from English clubs.
Ibrahimovic will be out of contract at PSG at the end of the season after having won the league for four consecutive years. Speculation has been rife as to what his next destination will be.
The journeyman striker has won all the major leagues in Europe except the English Premier League and this could be an incentive for him to join the Premier League.
The 34-year-old Swede has been heavily linked with a transfer to Manchester United, in what would be a final big ticket move for the striker. Thiago Silva admits that the club will not be the same without him saying, “He is my good friend, but also at 34 he is playing the best football of his career,”.
Describing the English Premier League as a step down in quality, Silva said, “I know he has offers from England - and it is a big league - but I don’t think there is a team in England that is at the level of PSG at the moment. For me it would be a step down in quality for him.”
Tough task at the Etihad
Silva’s PSG face an uphill task in their upcoming Champions League fixture against Manchester City at the Etihad. They need to score a goal if they are to win the tie and head to the semi-finals.
Manchester City managed to score two goals in a four-goal thriller to draw the away leg in Paris. Zlatan Ibrahimovic missed a penalty and will be keen to make amends. His performance could be the deciding factor in this high stakes tie.
While Ibrahimovic has promised “big things will happen” next season, his future has been under speculation. It is unclear whether PSG would like to keep the Swedish striker on their books next season.
The quality of Ligue 1 has often been criticised for not presenting a credible challenger for the Qatari-backed French giants. Ibrahimovic has admitted that he would like to play with a club at the highest level to enable him to win more trophies.
The Champions League is a trophy he has not lifted yet. If PSG cannot offer him the opportunity to do so, he will look for other clubs.
