It has long been assumed and presumed that under Carlo Ancelotti, Everton would eventually bring in acolytes of his style from some part of his journey; Thiago Silva has now entered the conversation.
Thiago Silva has been at PSG for nearly a decade; after switching from Milan to Paris, he has seen more domestic success than he likely could’ve dreamed of with little European success to match it. While Everton haven’t been known as potential European powerhouses since Carlo Ancelotti played football himself, Everton is looking an increasingly attractive English football club once again.
With young pieces like Dominic Calvert-Lewin, Richarlison, Alex Iwobi and Moise Kean, a piece like Silva could be just what the doctor ordered for Everton. This is true for a number of reasons, and while he is 35-years-old, his playing has not slipped too far to make this a good move; his leadership and organizational skills could be his biggest impact at Goodison Park however.
Thiago Silva: A Leader from the Backline, or above?
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Everton have great young talent on the backline; Lucas Digne, Yerry Mina and Mason Holgate are amongst the brighter names that shine at this part of the pitch. Those who follow Everton, like myself, have long spoken about defenders, as well as midfielders in this newest transfer window.
Former Ancelotti man Kalidou Koulibaly of Napoli will likely become the newest, most expensive defender in football; while this would be a wonderful innovation for the Toffees, it doesn’t feel truly feasible even with the money Everton still have banked from the winter window.
And so, Thiago Silva is a logical alternative in the same vein as Koulibaly; someone who can not only play, but can articulate the system in practice and during each match day to young, talented players Digne, Mina and Holgate.
One can certainly even imagine Silva playing in a slightly advanced position, ahead of the backline and behind the offensive midfielders and wingers. This could provide him the opportunity to act as a sort of crux between the back and front, not unlike what Pep Guardiola sometimes does at Manchester City with Fernandinho.
In this position, he’s not only able to help and aid the growth of the backline, but can also spell players like Jean-Philippe Gbamin ad Fabian Delph. Both players had huge expectations associate with them after moving to Merseyside this past offseason and Silva can help them get back on track as well.
In either position, Thiago Silva serves as many purposes as Carlo Ancelotti can imagine for him; but what of the economic or Parisian implications?
Everton and PSG: Perfect partners perhaps
Unlike Real Madrid and Everton in relations to James Rodriguez, or Napoli and Everton with Kalidou Koulibaly, Everton and PSG find themselves in a perfect partnership should they endeavor into it. Thiago Silva is a great Parisian player, but nothing lasts forever.
Madrid want a good amount for Rodriguez, and as mentioned before, Koulibaly will sell for a record fee from Napoli; in PSG, Everton find a club that likely will want to move Silva to a good location that he desires, without gouging the price of a 35 year old defender.
Everton can acquire the leadership it needs at a price that isn’t prohibitive for other team innovations; PSG meanwhile clears salary space, gets some money back on one of their most legendary players and comes out looking like a good place to spend a career at.
For me, it makes about as much sense as buying an older player can for a club that can use infusions of winning talent and mentality; Everton hardly lose anything by buying Silva, and Silva gets another lease on his football career.
At 35-years-old, Thiago is no spring chicken; he can provide Ancelotti and Everton as much as anyone with his ability and experience however. It is hard to say no if I’m Everton and am offered the deal; if remains a key in this sentence however.