5 players who could be cast aside by Mauricio Pochettino at PSG
Mauricio Pochettino was appointed the new PSG head coach earlier this year. The former Tottenham Hotspur, Southampton and Espanyol boss put pen to paper on a two-year contract at the Parc des Princes.
In his first managerial assignment since getting sacked by Spurs in November 2019, Pochettino replaced Thomas Tuchel, who was dismissed on Christmas Eve despite PSG beating Strasbourg the night before. Interestingly, Tuchel's dismissal came just four months after steering the French club to their first-ever Champions League final, where they lost to Bayern Munich in Lisbon.
Since taking over at PSG, Pochettino has steered his new side to four wins in his first five games, winning his first career trophy as a manager in the process.
Five players who could be surplus to requirements at PSG
Mauricio Pochettino has a very rich squad in terms of both quality and quantity. However, that would mean some players becoming surplus to requirements under the new PSG manager.
On that note, let us have a look at five such PSG players who may not see much game-time under Pochettino.
#5 Julian Draxler
German playmaker Julian Draxler has never been a guaranteed starter at PSG since arriving from Wolfsburg in January 2017.
He has seen 20+ league starts just once during his four-year stint with the French champions due to reasons ranging from injuries or the coach's preference for other players.
With the impending arrival of English playmaker Dele Alli, who played consistently under Pochettino at Tottenham, Draxler might find himself with more reduced game-time.
#4 Rafinha Alcantara
The 27-year-old Rafinha Alcantara moved to PSG last summer after seeing out his contract at Barcelona. However, he has been sparingly used at PSG and has had a few loan spells away from the club too.
He started ten of his 16 games for the club in all competitions this season. However, after getting afflicted by COVID-19 during the Christmas break, he was out of the PSG squad for a month.
It is yet to be seen if Pochettino has the Brazilian in his plans, as others in Rafinha's position have impressed during the player's absence.