News that Paris Saint-Germain had performed an outrageous double swoop for AC Milan superstars Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago SIlva rocked the football world on Thursday. Most of us have, by now, adjusted to the new reality of PSG as a legitimate European power. Two groups presumably have not -- fans of the Ligue 1 club who now have a Swedish demigod to play with, and heartbroken Milanistas who've had him taken away.
Losing Zlatan Hurts; But Thiago Silva Is Irreplaceable - AC Milan Offside
And, yeah, it's not just Zlatan. While Thiago Silva doesn't have the flair or raw star power that Ibra possesses, he's the more valuable talent. No centre back on Earth save Manchester City captain Vincent Kompany can compare to the Brazilian, and at 27 years old he has plenty of football left in him. Gianfranco, over at the AC Milan Offside, agrees, pointing out that Silva is the real loss here:
We can replace Zlatan, and once Pato breaks again, we will understand that maybe it is Destro, Lukaku, or whoever you fancy, but the real issue is Silva. How do you replace Silva? Maybe you go after Astori, no need for explanation here, or Dede, and you pair that player with Acerbi with the intention of building the back line of the future of AC Milan, I get that, I appreciate that, but I need some assurance that this money is going towards the right purchases. Not getting a boyfriend for Berlu's son, in the form of Andy Carroll, a raise for Pato, to please Barbara, and a few Bunga Bunga parties, because then my support, as tested as it has been, will surely run out.
And he’s right. There are star strikers around, even if none of them plays quite like Ibrahimovic does. Milan could reasonably hope to acquire one with the €62M that’s just dropped into their pockets. But there are no more Thiago Silvas for sale, no matter how much purchasing power Milan now have.
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