Luis Enrique is handling the PSG dressing room with a firm hand. After Carlo Ancelotti dismissed rumors of signing the Frenchman in the transfer window, Kylian Mbappe was reintegrated into Enrique’s team before the game against Toulouse. Now, it seems, another Paris favorite’s future is balanced on a knife’s edge.
The Spanish coach evidently does not care about a player’s reputation and only chooses players that he believes fit best into his system. Many star players are now uncertain about their futures at PSG, as they continue to spend time on the bench.
Restoration of Kylian Mbappe into Enrique’s squad while another player is banished
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After constructive talks, Kylian Mbappe was reintegrated into the first-team squad. He played his first match against Toulouse, where he scored a goal and PSG drew the game. Enrique, unlike his predecessors, doesn’t enjoy tantrums and is very specific about his needs. As per Le Parisien, the manager discussed at length the conversations around midfielder, Marco Verratti, and reportedly made his intentions clear to the player stating, “With me, You will never play!”
The meeting with Verratti was held in Sporintg Director Luis Campos’ presence. The manager spoke his mind to the $ 43,350,000-rated estranged Italian midfielder and gave a hard-hitting speech on his lifestyle. This isn’t the first time he has taken a firm stand since arriving at Parc Des Princes.
In a previous match, Marquinhos the long-time Paris defender was benched for the first game against Lorient. Danilo Perreira started the match and was made captain. The club now waits for a concrete offer from Saudi for Veratti, with Manchester United’s name also swirling in the mix.
With a tough season ahead, let’s have a look at the transfers PSG made in this transfer window, and how the squad is shaping up before deadline day, with a new transfer policy seemingly in place.
PSG overhaul their squad and the UCL group of death
In the recent UCL draw, PSG was placed in Group F with AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund, and Newcastle United. One of the toughest groups in the draw, with each team relatively on the same level, a group of death if one may, PSG will likely rely on squad depth to qualify for later stages.
Paris started their transfer window strongly, making some sound signings. They signed Marco Asensio from Real Madrid and defender Milan Skriniar from Inter Milan. Luis Campos struck a good deal as both the players were brought on free transfers.
#PSGRCL @marcoasensio10 + @KMbappe = ⚽️⚽️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/sc5vsmLffj
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_English) August 26, 2023
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Enrique then signed Manuel Ugarte, who was also linked with Chelsea, for a fee of $65.32 million from Sporting Lisbon. Wingers Ousmane Dembele and Kang-in Lee were signed from La Liga and both came in cheap considering their age. The Spanish coach has been a long-time admirer of the French winger from Barcelona.
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Other prominent transfers made by PSG during the transfer window are Lucas Hernandez from Bayern Munich, and Bradley Barcola from Lyon. Youth prospect, Xavi Simmons, was also brought back to the club after his impressive run last season with PSV.
Do you think PSG will qualify for UCL’s Round of 16? Let us know in the comments.