After about a month’s time of waiting for David Silva’s decision regarding his future, it finally came on August 17, 2020, three days following Manchester City’s exit (after being defeated 3-1 by Ligue 1 side Olympique Lyonnais in the Quarter-Finals) from the 2019/20 edition of the UEFA Champions League. While Lazio was expecting his arrival in Rome, completely out of the blue, Spanish La Liga side Real Sociedad announced the signing of the 34-year-old midfielder on a two-year deal, sparking outrage amongst the club and its supporters. Terms were said to be agreed upon with the Biancocelesti, with medicals at the Paideia Clinic scheduled for this week. However, it is said that the Txuri-urdinak contacted Silva in secret; as his wife was pushing for a return to Spain, and as the club offered a salary higher than that of which Lazio were offering, he accepted, ultimately going against his word.
Just one day later via their official social media accounts, a statement was published by Lazio – specifically Sporting Director Igli Tare – which outlined the frustration and disappointment of the Biancocelesti.
I learned about Silva’s transfer to Real Sociedad… I have great respect for the player, but not for the man.
To reply to this statement was Silva’s father, Fernando Jiménez, later in the day when he spoke to Radio Marca Donostia.
When they told Lazio about the deal with Real Sociedad, they did not react poorly. At the end of the day, there was nothing certain with the Biancocelesti. There were definitely contacts with Lazio, but also with Real Sociedad and several other teams. However, my son decided to go back to Spain and signed with Real. David was – and still is – surprised by the reaction of the Italian club. Anyone can decide what they want; Lazio talked to his agent, not David. So, I don’t understand why they bring him up as a man, he didn’t finalize anything with Lazio. There were also other teams who had talked to him.
