However, despite the heavy investment from the wealthy owners, PSG’s domestic dominance has not translated to the European stage which they now once again hope to address with another season.
Review of PSG’s 2021/22 season
Paris Saint-Germain got knocked out of the 2021/22 UEFA Champions League round of 16 by eventual winners Real Madrid so it clearly wasn’t a good season.
The Parisiens also failed to win the French Cup for only the second time in the last eight years all of which ultimately led to head coach Mauricio Pochettino losing his job.
At least he can console himself with the league title as it was the first of his coaching career but it most likely wasn’t special to anyone else in Paris as the league title has almost become their birthright in the last few years.
State of affairs
With Pochettino gone, exciting French manager Christophe Galtier is the latest man in the PSG hot seat, the sixth managerial appointment in 11 years of the Qatari era, only the second Frenchman in that period.
Speaking of Frenchmen, keeping Kylian Mbappe at the club and away from the clutches of Real Madrid proved to be their biggest achievement, all for a small token of £1 million as a reported weekly wage for the next three years, a reported £100 million sign-on fee and decision-making power in an unofficial administrative role.
In addition to keeping the Prince of Paris, the club also boasts an attacking force of Neymar and Lionel Messi, the trio looking to outdo last season’s underwhelming outing.
Transfers: Ins & Outs
Contrary to their usual business model of just throwing money at everything, PSG have actually spent wisely this transfer window, spending €38 million to make permanently sign Portuguese left-back Nuno Mendes after an impressive loan spell last season.
Portuguese midfielder Vitinha also joined from Porto for €41.5 million, French defender Nordi Mukiele joined from RB Leipzig for €12 million and highly-rated French forward Hugo Ekitike arrived on loan from Stade Reims.
Goalkeepers Alphonse Areola and Marcin Bulka were both sold for €9.2 million and €2 million to West Ham and OGC Nice respectively while Angel Di Maria and Xavi Simons left the club as free agents.
Big question: Can Galtier succeed where his predecessors failed?
Christophe Galtier announced himself to the world by leading Lille to a surprise Ligue 1 title in the 2020/21 season but even at that, his appointment by PSG still came as a surprise.
He is not a typical PSG manager in terms of reputation and pedigree which is an indication that the club is trying a different approach to achieve the success they so desire.
It remains to be seen if Galtier’s lack of European experience and pedigree would be a hindrance to PSG’s Champions League ambitions.
What would constitute a good season?
Ideally, Paris Saint-Germain would want to win the UEFA Champions League which ultimately means they have to win a treble.
They are most likely going to win the default league and cup double and bringing the UCL trophy to Paris remains the priority.
Add Comment