It was the endless transfer that could never quite deliver a final. But now Kylian Mbappe has left Paris Saint-Germain and a new reality is dawning for the French champions.
The implications of his departure on and off the pitch have been under consideration for some time now – and in truth, the club began the transition from a ‘galacticos’ era to something more sustainable last summer. It’s always possible to hit ‘reset’ on the PSG project with the resources at their disposal.
Talk of a new era was matched last year by the optics of a new training ground, a new coach and 13 new faces on the transfer market, but that transition to a world of “no more megastars” was somewhat overshadowed by a very public confrontation with that last surviving galactico — Mbappe. His future dominated everything, not least after he was put up for sale and “lofted”.
But while summers at PSG can be stormy, things have been a little more temperate so far this year.
Most dramatic was the club’s anger over comments by Lyon owner John Textor, who clashed with Nasser Al-Khelaifi during French Football League (LFP) talks over a belatedly announced new TV rights deal following a much-criticised tender process.
Last week, Textor told Brazilian outlet O Globo that PSG “just have to dig into their pockets, put a little oil money in and I’m done for,” referring to the challenge Lyon face in Ligue 1. This week, that comment was met with a sharply worded letter from PSG in response.
And that may not be the only intrigue off the pitch. Mbappe may now be wearing the colours of Madrid, but not all is completely resolved. The club are withholding a portion of his salary while they discuss the terms of an ‘agreement’ reached earlier in the season that facilitated Mbappe’s return to the PSG squad last summer. Mbappe’s mother and agent, Fayza Lamari, spoke to Le Parisien this week after Mbappe was unveiled in Madrid, and she discussed the legal options available to her.
“Sometimes, when you break up, you have to decide who gets the TV, who keeps the furniture or the car,” she said. “That’s where we are now. I hope that all this won’t tarnish everything we’ve been through, that we won’t leave it at that. I don’t want to forget the positive of PSG, that even this year, when it was difficult, playing in the Parc, in your own city, is beautiful.”
This case could end up in court, as The Athletics outlined here, and about that possibility she said: “If we have no choice, yes, definitely. Now I really hope that the contract we signed two years ago is respected. In reality, no one can say what happened — not me, nor the representatives of PSG — because Kylian and the president have only met for two years, apart from once. And all that has not stopped Kylian from playing since the announcement was made in February…”
Back to the on-field stuff, PSG are preparing for a new season where, for perhaps the first time since QSI bought the club, there will be no big star in the team. This of course only reinforces the power of Luis Enrique, the head coach who guided the team to a Champions League semi-final last season.
He cycled to work again this week, as several of his players returned for pre-season testing on Monday. Unlike previous years, PSG will not be embarking on a world tour in the summer. Last year, they went to Japan and stopped in South Korea after their acquisition of Lee Kang-in and his popularity there at the time.
This year there were plans to venture into China as the club continues to expand its brand globally, with a new club shop also expected to open there.
However, the tour plans were scrapped at the last minute, partly due to uncertainty over the promoter, according to sources with knowledge of the matter, who, like others consulted for this article, spoke on condition of anonymity because of their need to maintain relationships.
So instead, PSG have opted to forgo the money-spinning trip and opted for a quiet summer, with notable public friendlies against Sturm Graz in Austria and RB Leipzig in Germany. Their Trophees des Champions match against Monaco, also scheduled for Beijing on August 8, was also postponed by the LFP earlier this month.
This will be the first pre-season unaffected by Covid and without PSG embarking on a major tour. A quieter pre-season, after a European Championship and Copa America, plus the Olympic Games in Paris, was seen as the most sensible option. The club had 16 senior players on international duty – excluding loanees such as Xavi Simons.
Their international players will rejoin the main squad in phases and they will meet some new faces. Goalkeeper Matvey Safonov, 25, has arrived from Russian club Krasnodar. Gabriel Moscardo is also in the squad; the 18-year-old defensive midfielder was signed in January this year but spent six months on loan at Corinthians in Brazil. Presnel Kimpembe is also fully back in training after missing the entire season last year with an Achilles injury.
Luis Enrique has appointed an additional assistant coach to the coaching staff, Guillem Hernandez Folguera. The 30-year-old previously worked in the academies of Venezia and Barcelona.
Safonov has joined PSG as the non-Galactico era begins (Maksim Konstantinov/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
Eight players have been told they must find a new club this summer. Mbappe was among them last year when he was dumped into what is known in France as the ‘loft’ – a group of unwanted players similar to what is known in English football as the ‘bomb squad’. Those eight players this season are Renato Sanches, Juan Bernat, Colin Dagba, Ismael Gharbi, Ilyes Housni, Noha Lemina, Vimoj Muntu Wa Mungu and Louis Mouquet. They will train separately from Luis Enrique’s main group in Poissy.
But there is a slight difference this year. PSG are not calling the group a ‘loft’. Instead, they are meant to be part of a new ‘Espoirs’ or reserves/under-21 team that the club is looking to create for next season. Club sources say they are in contact with the FFF about setting up this new team in a league format.
However, it is unlikely that they will be the only players leaving, and Safonov and Moscardo will not be the only new faces either.
In attack, PSG must face the reality of losing their all-time leading scorer – a player whose 44 goals accounted for 37 per cent of their total in all competitions last season. PSG committed to a huge spending spree last season, more than €300m (£253m, $327m) when they overhauled their squad. But there will be money to spend, according to club sources, helped by the departure of Mbappe.
The club’s main targets are Naples. Both Victor Osimhen and Kvara Kvaratskhelia are targets for the French champions. If both players are acquired, it may be necessary to leave a forward. That is likely to be Randal Kolo Muani, who has not fully proven himself in his first season and has attracted interest from Atletico Madrid. Kolo Muani was signed at the last minute from Eintracht Frankfurt last summer in a deal that could reach €90 million if add-ons are made.
Osimhen is a target for PSG (David S.Bustamante/Soccrates/Getty Images)
The club are also eyeing 19-year-old midfielder Desire Doue, at Rennes, while Joshua Kimmich, at Bayern Munich, has also been discussed internally. The club have a strong midfield, with Vitinha, who excelled last season, and Warren Zaire-Emery, one of the most exciting young talents in world football. Fabian Ruiz, meanwhile, has been steadily working his way into Luis Enrique’s mindset and has just enjoyed a hugely impressive European Championship with Spain. That means the door is open for Manuel Ugarte to leave if PSG get a good offer for him. Manchester United are among his suitors, but they are not the only ones.
The theme for PSG remains that of last summer, which is more about young talent, ideally French. That’s why they were keen to sign Lille wonderkid Leny Yoro, who has instead joined Manchester United. Defence remains an area they are looking to strengthen.
Xavi Simons, another exciting young player, meanwhile, has an uncertain future. PSG were adamant earlier in the summer that he would not sell and that position remains, largely because a move before Christmas would mean money would flow to Simons’ former club PSV Eindhoven. If he does leave, a loan with an option or obligation is the most likely outcome.
The PSG of the post-Mbappe era will take some time to take shape, but a clearer picture should emerge by next month. The transition to a new team began last year, but life without their former frontman has now truly begun.
(Top photo: Franck Fife/AFP via Getty Images)
