Paris Saint-Germain made major changes this summer in order to refocus its project and avoid the gaps of last season. As a result, recruitment was thought out based on the collective and not just on notoriety or the number of jerseys possibly sold in the shops. Parisian leaders have therefore targeted their recruitment, with profiles such as Manuel Ugarte, Lucas Hernandez and Milan Skriniar.
This desire is also reflected in attack where PSG has turned two big pages, those of Lionel Messi who left for the United States and Neymar, who ended up joining Saudi Arabia. Even if they weren’t at their best in Paris, the Argentinian and the Brazilian, for example, scored 39 goals between them last season. If their investment sometimes left something to be desired, the creative void left by their departures is there. Like its two inaugural draws with a single achievement against Lorient (0-0) and Toulouse (1-1), PSG has a huge attacking site ahead of it.
?? Luis Enrique: “I think we have excellent players in midfield. In my group, I see creativity, work and fantasy » Follow the press conference live on our website: https://t.co/IsP4CRBfl5 pic.twitter.com/mrvGO8dRpW
To replace them, the capital club did not obtain the signature of a world-famous star, despite a serious approach on Harry Kane, who preferred to go to Bayern Munich. The other potential targets, like Victor Osimhen and Rafael Leão, are unattainable financially, even for PSG. However, the Parisian club has been very active in reshaping its offensive line: Ousmane Dembélé, Marco Asensio, Kang-In Lee and Gonçalo Ramos have thus arrived. The last city has the advantage of being a pure number 9, a role that PSG has so far lacked, as Kylian Mbappé has openly declared in the past.
And it’s probably not over, because Luis Enrique is waiting for a new offensive reinforcement by the end of the transfer window, this Friday, September 1. The names of Randal Kolo Muani (Frankfurt) and Bradley Barcola (OL) come up insistently, and PSG are trying to complete these files without paying a high price, after having already spent 209 million euros this summer, of which 100 only for his attackers.
With the potential arrival of RKM, Luis Enrique would thus have the attack of the French team at his disposal, enough to obtain automatisms and complicity quickly on paper. “We still need to strengthen this offensive line since it is the sector where we have had the fewest recruits so far. But for me, it’s very good to be able to work with them, to be able to see their synergy and their complementarity evolve, ”said Luis Enrique on this subject at a press conference.
However, Kolo Muani has changed in size in a few months and still has to adapt to a new club, with increased pressure. For Ousmane Dembélé, questions remain, especially about his physique, he who missed an average of twenty games per season at FC Barcelona. In order to deal with these uncertainties, PSG should now be able to count on a bench provided unlike last year when Hugo Ekitike and Carlos Soler had a hard time existing. Luis Campos doubled the positions, enough to avoid some air pockets.
PSG therefore leave with new assets but also some doubts. However, there will be no respite for Luis Enrique and his players, with this Saturday August 26 the reception of RC Lens (9 p.m.) but also the Champions League which returns in three weeks. Adaptation times are reduced and the nets will have to shake quickly to prove that the Messi and Neymar chapters are indeed ancient history, with no regrets to feed.
