Thiago Silva ‘will fit’ in Premier League says pundit
Arsenal transfer target Thiago Silva is still a "fantastic" defender, according to former France World Cup-winner Frank Leboeuf. However, Leboeuf says there are concerns over the character of the experienced centre-back. Silva, 35, will leaveParis Saint-Germainwhen his contract expires this summer.
Arsenal transfer news: Frank Leboeuf says Thiago Silva is a fantastic defender (Image: GETTY/ESPN)
"We were talking about the character [of players] and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer wants a real character, he's been criticised a lot at Paris Saint-Germain and also after the 2014 [World Cup] about his non-character, the guy was crying very easily and it's why maybe Paris Saint-Germain didn't win the Champions League.
"He didn't play the first leg against Barcelona [in 2017] and then he was playing for La Remontada, so he's been criticised a lot and they've never been really nice to him because I think for example Marquinhos is stronger mentally than him.
"But he's definitely a fantastic player, he's not done yet, he's still in a good shape and he will fit, he will fit in many, many clubs in the Premier League for sure."
Meanwhile, Arsenal captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang's future remains in doubt with his contract set to expire in the summer of 2021.
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Arsenal transfer news: Thiago Silva will leave PSG at the end of his contract (Image: GETTY)
But European football expert Julien Laurens says discussions between the club and Aubameyang will take place once the Premier League resumes later this month.
Laurens said: "They haven't properly started talking concrete talks about a new deal and what the future holds because of the pandemic, because they're really focused right now on being as ready as possible for when the league resumes, which is fair. Then after that they will talk.
"It's very clear it's either he's happy to sign a new deal and the club wants to keep him for longer, he's 31 at the end of the month, so you have to be careful of what you do, you can't give him a 10-year deal when he's 31.
"But if he doesn't want to sign a deal or you can't find an agreement or anything like this, then you either sell him now and get a bit of money, maybe £20m-£25m, or you keep him and he runs down his contract and in the following summer in 2021 he goes for free."