The French giants are set to appoint the ex-Spain boss following Christophe Galtier's sacking, but the process to reach this point has been laughable
As Paris Saint-Germain realised in early spring that Christophe Galtier was not the right manager to take them forward, the process began on finding a replacement who could finally deliver the French champions more than just domestic success. The early in-house decision surely put them at an advantage in their pursuit of a top-tier coach, didn't it? You wouldn't know it from what's happened since.
First, it was Thomas Tuchel. And why wouldn’t PSG want him? This was a Champions League-winning manager, all flailing limbs and clever tactics. Yes, the Parisians had been down the road before — and burned out spectacularly just months on from reaching the Champions League final — but there wasn’t a better manager on the market. Tuchel, though, was lured in by Bayern Munich before PSG had the courage to officially sack Galtier.
Then, briefly, it was Jose Mourinho. And perhaps that wasn’t the worst idea. Yes, the Portuguese manager had become, sommehow, even more toxic while at Roma. But he has always won in Europe — drab Europa League final penalty shootout loss a few weeks ago notwithstanding. Maybe a totalitarian regime was exactly what the Qatar-owned club needed.
After that, Julian Nagelsmann was the front runner. This one was even more exciting. The German wore trendy clothes, had a cool haircut and rode skateboards. There were some alarm bells following his sacking by Bayern, but he had the Bavarians well in pursuit of a treble before his unfair removal by an erratic board. Young, trendy, tactically astute – this was surely the direction PSG needed. But that move — one that seemed certain to materialise — has now fallen apart.
Instead, PSG have seemingly landed on Luis Enrique. The credentials are certainly there. He has won the Champions League, coached some big names, and will get the Parisians playing some pretty stuff. It does little to take away from the fact, though, that Luis Enrique is effectively fourth-choice, the back-up’s back-up’s back-up for a job that, theoretically, should be a hot commodity.
And this is all indicative of the state of the club. PSG, the biggest team in France, with the third-biggest budget in Europe, and the team that has been able to attract some of the biggest names in football, can't seem to nail down a big-name manager. They are, in effect, a team failing to correct their own mistakes, and running out of options in a vital vacancy because of it.
(C)Getty ImagesA complex history
This is hardly a novel concept. When Qatari Sports Investments took over the club in 2011, PSG immediately tried to upgrade. Gone were the sensible appointments of old, and in came the big names. Carlo Ancelotti, Laurent Blanc, Unai Emery, Tuchel and Mauricio Pochettino have all sauntered into the club before skulking out.
At the time, all were highly-rated, high-profile names. Ancelotti had won nearly everything when he was the man brought in to lead the glitzy new project in 2011. Blanc's France tenure was turbulent, but he certainly didn't lack experience dealing with big names. And then came Emery, Tuchel and Pochettino, different types of managers, but similar in their application. Here were a trio of coaches who had won something, proved their credentials to manage a big club, but weren't notorious for their control of dressing rooms.
And they all ended their tenures in similar ways. The stars that had been brought in to bolster the PSG brand didn't so easily conform to their tactical tendencies, and while all three relied on intricacy, commitment and the purity of systems to succeed, big-money superstars thrown into teams that are trying to be moulded in a certain way don't always work.
There's complexity here. Not every manager deals with every player in a fixed manner. But Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi — transformative individuals that they are — were all signed to the detriment of the team. And none of PSG's last four managers – including Galtier – have ever really been able to deal with them.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesThe Luis Campos factor
But this time, there's a mysterious extra actor involved. The hiring of transfer guru Luis Campos in 2022 was always going to be something of a gamble. Though the Portuguese's recruiting skills couldn't be knocked, there didn't appear to be much room for him in a club where star players, a demanding board and indignant manager were jostling for power.
And some of those fears were validated. Campos and Galtier shared something of a similar vision for the club, but what, exactly, the Portuguese was employed to do wasn't clear. PSG technically didn't have a director of football after letting Leonardo go, but Campos was never given the position on a permanent basis, instead employed with an accordingly uncertain title of 'football advisor'.
If he was supposed to be a stand-in for sporting director, he did so with an unusually close relationship to the team. Campos was there at every game, scowling from the stands and often on the pitch after full-time. On occasion, he was found waiting by the edge of the tunnel for Galtier, an angry parent waiting to tell off a misbehaving child.
There were moments of tension between him and the players, too. Campos reportedly lambasted the Parisians at half-time of a heavy loss to Monaco in Ligue 1. He also repeatedly called on Mbappe to improve his performance — while Galtier simply heaped praise on his star striker.
This could all be very difficult for a new manager to figure out. It is admittedly rare that coaches and the board work in complete harmony, but the next PSG manager will walk into a club where power has already been split. This is, in effect, a system set up to fail.
Getty/GOALSummer business
Campos has continued to exert his influence, being active in the transfer market without having a manager in place. His signings so far have been admittedly interesting, and the exact antithesis of PSG's usual strategy. Manuel Ugarte is a no-nonsense centre-midfielder who won't sell many shirts. Marco Asensio was a bargain-bin find on a free after Real Madrid refused to offer him a new contract. Lee Kang-in is near-unheard of outside of Spain and South Korea, but was a dynamic attacking midfielder for Mallorca last season, playing a starring role in one of La Liga's most impressive success stories.
Bernardo Silva, if he is indeed next, would also be a good piece of business — although Manchester City will undoubtedly want a hefty fee for his services. In isolation, then, these are a series of smart signings that should add either depth or immediate quality in key areas. But how, exactly, they fit together isn't quite clear — and likely won't be until a new manager is brought in.
The difficulty is, Campos isn't necessarily putting together a squad for a specific coach. Ugarte seemed to be a very Mourinho-esque player. Asensio and Lee, in theory, are ideal for Nagelsmann. Luis Enrique, though, doesn't necessarily seem an ideal coach for any of the newcomers, and either way, it appears unlikely that the manager will have had any sort of say in how the nearly €100 million was spent.
This is a common concept — to an extent. Coaches always inherit squads with players they do and don't like, and whoever the new manager is will inevitably want to get rid of a few names Campos considers important. But Campos appears to be going about a whole summer's worth of recruiting without employing a manager to oversee the team. It is difficult to see any sort of experienced coach who will willingly embrace that scenario — or execute it in the vision of the man doing the buying.
Getty ImagesThe Mbappe problem
But amid all the incomings, the real sticking point is the player who may yet be leaving. Mbappe has caused a certain degree of chaos around PSG after announcing that he would not extend his contract beyond the end of next season. He knows that, in return, PSG will likely be forced to sell him — letting him walk for free in 12 months would be a massive financial waste.
And that will likely be the first question every single candidate for the PSG job has: where will Mbappe be next year? Relying on Asensio and relying on Mbappe are, after all, two very different managerial situations. Chances are, PSG will be forced to sell, despite Mbappe's thinly-veiled well-wishes and reassurances over the past few weeks. Real Madrid will likely buy him, and add to what is already the best young core in Europe.
That would, in effect, leave PSG bringing in a manager to oversee a rebuild. If the expectations in Paris are to reach the Champions League final, an injured Neymar, ageing Marquinhos and erratic Vitinha aren't the pieces to do it.
The issue is, managing PSG is often a short-term proposition. Galtier only lasted a year. Pochettino managed two. Blanc now looks more akin to Arsene Wenger at Arsenal for being at the club for three. There are questions to be asked here about the patience of Campos, the board, and the fans. Clubs like PSG do not simply accept resets, especially when they have spent years compiling droves of big names.