Rennes coach Julien Stephan: I wish we could've signed Chelsea defender Thiago Silva | OneFootball

Rennes coach Julien Stephan has paid tribute to Chelsea defender Thiago Silva.

Before defeat to Chelsea in last night's Champions League tie, Stephan sung the praises of Thiago Silva, admitting he'd have loved to have signed the Brazil captain over the summer.

Quoted by RMC via Le 10 Sport, Stephan said of former PSG captain Thiago Silva: "He is a complete and exceptional player. It's unfortunate not to have him in the French league anymore, but I think the Premier League has recovered a very, very high level defender.

"I would have liked to have had him with us but it is not calibrated for clubs like ours but for clubs of a higher level."

Thiago Silva was again outstanding for Chelsea last night as they won 2-1 at Rennes. The defender was superb alongside Kurt Zouma at the heart of the Blues defence.

And Stephan accepts the 36 year-old made right the decision leaving PSG for Chelsea, confident the London giants can meet the ambitions of the veteran.

He also said, "This year he is also in a great team with great ambitions and which is making a fantastic start to the championship after a very large recruitment."

Over his eight years with the Parisians, Thiago Silva won seven Ligue 1 titles, was a five-time Coupe de France winner and a six-time Coupe de la Ligue winner.

The stopper joined Chelsea as a free agent after coming off contract at PSG following their Champions League final defeat to Bayern Munich.

- updated November 25