Fans of Chelsea, Blackburn and Wigan may be shocked to learn that unheralded striker Franco di Santo is currently one of the hottest properties in Germany's Bundesliga with Werder Bremen where he has scored 12 goals in his last 18 matches. Even more surprising is the Argentine's views on the respective merits of the two leagues. Contrary to popular belief, the 25-year-old insists players in Germany are made to train harder than their Premier League counterparts and that games are more intense and competitive in the Bundesliga. A few months ago, Di Santo's opinions might have been ridiculed but given the dismal performances of English clubs in Europe this season, it appears he may have a point. Franco di Santo is loving life in the Bundesliga with Werder Bremen after stints with three English clubs . The Argentine striker moved to England with Chelsea but also played for Blackburn and Wigan . Following Chelsea's exit against Paris Saint-Germain, it is unlikely any Premier League will be in the quarter-finals of the Champions League, with Manchester City and Arsenal both losing their first leg matches at home. In contrast, Bayern Munich are safely through to the last eight with Borussia Dortmund and Bayer Leverkusen having a great chance of joining them from the Bundesliga next week. Their fourth representative Schalke gave Real Madrid an almighty scare at the Bernabeu before going out 5-4 on aggregate. 'When I came to Germany, I thought it would be a little bit less intense than the Premier League,' admitted di Santo, who signed for Bremen on a Bosman free following Wigan's relegation in 2013. 'But when I got here and felt the intensity, it was like “Wow”. Everything is fast just like in England but sometimes I feel there is more pressure here. In the English league, you have time to turn around and go against the defender face-to-face, but here it is always pressure, pressure, pressure. Di Santo says he thought it would be a little bit less intense than the Premier League but he was surprised . Di Santo says that after a career as a young player in the Premier League he finds the Bundesliga as intense . 'The other thing that is different is the kind of training. Here, we train twice-a-day two or three times a week. It was hard for me coming from English football where you sometimes have two days free in a week. 'Here it is impossible to do that. Maybe you have one day off every two weeks. The philosophy is completely different. In England, they think your body needs to rest to be fit for the game, to get it in great condition. Here it is the opposite, you have to train more. 'Sometimes it feels too much but you do feel stronger in key moments because you are training, training. When I was in England I would be a little bit more tired in the last 10 minutes. Here I feel good, so maybe for my body it is better to train!' The reputation of the Premier League has taken a nose-dive recently but Di Santo is not surprised our top clubs aren't able to dominate in the Champions League and suggests there may be a snob value towards the Bundesliga because of the dominance of Bayern Munich. The 6ft 4in centre forward has 12 goals in his last 18 games as Bremen rise up the Bundesliga table . 'I think Germany and England have the strongest two leagues but the big difference is the marketing. The Premier League has 10 years more experience in that,' he says. 'On the pitch, the Premier League is not better or quicker. 'Of course, Bayern Munich is by far the best team in Germany but it's not because the other teams are s***, it is just because they very strong. 'If Bayern came into the Premier League, they would finish top-three for sure and they could win it, why not? They have World Cup winners and players like (Arjen) Robben, (Robert) Lewandowski and (Franck) Ribery. Di Santo,  modestly for his league, believes Bayern Munich would be in the Premier League's top three . The big striker took on Chelsea and their midfield giant Nemanja Matic in pre-season. Bremen won 3-1 . 'Just because some of the other teams in Germany aren't big names, it doesn't mean they're not good. 'We played Chelsea in pre-season and beat them 3-1. OK, it was pre-season but Chelsea put out a good team and it wasn't like they were able to score 10 against us.' Di Santo, a 6ft 4in centre forward, has packed a lot of experience into his short career. He left Argentina for Chile very young and at 17 signed for Chelsea with a big reputation. It didn't quite happen for him at Stamford Bridge and he failed to score a goal for them in two seasons. 'I had to be realistic, I was competing against (Didier) Drogba, (Nicolas) Anelka, (Andriy) Shevchenko, (Claudio) Pizarro and (Salomon) Kalou for a place and they were probably better than me at the time,' he admits. 'The most time I got was 45 minutes against Aston Villa when Anelka got injured.' The presence of Didier Drogba (left), who is still Di Santo's friend, made it difficult for him to get game time . Di Santo (right) says his loan to Blackburn went well at first but then he was dropped by Sam Allardyce . Franco di Santo has hailed his Argentine international team-mate Angel di Maria as one of the top 10 players in the world. Di Maria has struggled in England, as Di Santo did, following a record £59.7million summer move to Manchester United. But di Santo insists: 'Di Maria did so well in the World Cup for Argentina, it was a shame he was injured for the final against Germany otherwise the outcome might have been different, for sure. 'He is among the top 10 players in the world. His best position is on the wing, either right or left. He is quick and skilful but some players need more time to settle into a new league than others. 'I'd say (Lionel) Messi and (Cristiano) Ronaldo are on a different planet but after them, there are five or six of around the level – Sergio Aguero, Arjen Robben, Edinson Cavani, Zlatan Ibrahimovic – and di Maria.' He went on loan to Blackburn. 'I played every single game for a half a season and did really well, but didn't score - that was my big problem. I decided to stay another six months but then the manager Sam Allardyce didn't play me any more. It was weird, from amazing to becoming very hard. But I did get a goal and assist in our local derby against Burnley and they made a DVD of the match with my face on the cover!' Ironically, it was Roberto Martinez – now in charge of England's sole Europa League survivors Everton – who helped start to turn his career around by signing him for Wigan on a permanent basis in 2010. 'It was my personal decision to leave Chelsea, I still had time on my contract but needed to play. Roberto told me I was good enough to play for Argentina, he gave me confidence. And he made me think about getting into the penalty area more. Before then, I only wanted to score pretty goals, go past a lot of players. 'Now I realise if it comes off my knee, it still counts as one goal and that has helped me.' Wigan won the FA Cup – Di Santo was an unused substitute - and were relegated in the same season, and Martinez left for Everton. He signed Arouna Kone, Antolin Alcaraz, James McCarthy and Joel Robles – but not Di Santo. 'There is no problem with that, it would have been difficult to sign so many players from Wigan,' says the player. Blackburn fans mob Di Santo after he scored against Burnley and it even earned him a space on a DVD cover . Wigan lifted the FA Cup at Wembley before being relegated, although Di Santo didn't play a single minute . Instead, the forward – who won three caps for Argentina during his time at the DW Stadium – went to Bremen in northern Germany and is finally fulfilling the promise everyone predicted in his teens. His winning goal against Freiburg last weekend lifted Bremen up to eighth, just six points of a Champions League berth. Unfortunately a booking also means he is suspended for Saturday's big match against Bayern. He still keeps in touch with old Chelsea pals like Drogba and Branislav Ivanovic and friends from Wigan like Alcaraz and Maynor Figueroa. He admits though that having not been ready for English football at 17, he would fancy a return at some point to see how the intensity and hard work in the German League have helped him develop. Wigan owner Dave Whelan gets a champagne shower from Di Santo, but they would soon part company . While Di Santo is enjoying the Bundesliga, he says he fancies a shot at 'revenge' in the Premier League . 'I am happy here really, I know I am in a league that is very competitive, one of the best in the world,' he said. 'In one way I am very happy here, I am doing well and playing in a very competitive league. But for the other side I would like to have my revenge in the English League, show what I can do with the experience I now have. It may depend on Roberto Martinez or other coaches what happens! 'If I have to stay in Germany, I am going to be happy, and for the other side, if I have to go to England, I will try to do my best to show I am better than last time.' Di Santo still has friends in England from his time there and keeps contact with a few Chelsea players . Di Santo faced top players in England but says Germany's lack of big names doesn't make teams 's***'
Franco di Santo was not at his best with Chelsea, Blackburn or Wigan . But now he has 12 goals in 18 games with Werder Bremen . Di Santo says the Bundesliga clubs demand players to train harder . He says Bayern Munich would at least finish in Premier League's top three . Didier Drogba and Branislav Ivanovic are still in touch with the Argentine . Striker wants to come back  to have 'revenge on the English league'
Di Santo backs Angel di Maria to come good for Manchester United .