Journalist assesses Zinedine Zidane and Thomas Tuchel's potential PSG arrival amid rumors of Christophe Galtier's sacking

CBS Sports’ Jonathan Johnson has claimed that neither Zinedine Zidane nor Thomas Tuchel is likely to succeed Christophe Galtier as Paris Saint-Germain (PSG)’s manager.

Having overseen a strong start to the 2022-23 season, Galtier has landed in troubled waters. The French side were first eliminated by Marseille from the Coupe de France in February, a week before they fell to a 1-0 Champions League Round-of-16 first-leg defeat to Bayern Munich. On March 8, they lost 2-0 to Bayern in the second leg, getting knocked out in the Round-of-16 stage.

PSG are currently in cruise control in Ligue 1, having carved up a 10-point lead over second-placed Marseille after 27 matches. Ligue 1 success, however, might not be enough to save Galtier’s job, with his predecessor Mauricio Pochettino getting the sack despite taking Les Parisien to the French title last season.

Many believe former Real Madrid manager Zidane could take over if Galtier is dismissed, but Johnson does not see it as a financially viable move. In his column, he wrote:

“Bringing in Zidane would make big-name arrivals almost impossible, given the financial issues PSG are already facing, and that could reshuffle some currently unfavorable cards for certain players.”

The Parisians are currently under the microscope after being fined €10 million for breaking Financial Fair Play (FFP) rules. It is unlikely that the club will be able to spend heavily in the summer to cater to Zidane's possible requirements.

Johnson then talked about the possible return of Tuchel, who served at the Parc des Princes for two seasons (2018–2020) before being sacked. While the journalist did not completely rule out the German’s return, he thought it was unlikely.

“Thomas Tuchel returning is unlikely, given his comments since, but stranger things have happened, and he does demand total focus on the pitch. Second comings are more and more popular, albeit with mixed results.”

Tuchel has been without a job since being sacked by Chelsea at the start of the 2022-23 season (September). While in charge of PSG, he helped them to their first-ever Champions League final in the 2019-20 season.

Manchester City superstar Kevin De Bruyne edges out PSG ace Lionel Messi in key playmaking stats

Manchester City maestro Kevin De Bruyne has created the highest number of big chances in the top-five European leagues this season, WhoScored has revealed. The Belgian playmaker has edged out PSG’s Lionel Messi by a whisker to secure the top spot.

As per WhoScored, De Bruyne has created 24 big chances in 25 Premier League appearances. Messi, on the other hand, has manufactured 22 in as many Ligue 1 games. The former Chelsea man has also played more key passes (3.2) per game than the Barcelona legend (2.7).

🎁 Most big chances created in Europe's Top 5 Leagues this season:

🇧🇪 Kevin De Bruyne - 24
🇦🇷 Lionel Messi - 22
🇵🇹 Bruno Fernandes -19
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Kieran Trippier - 18
🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 Trent Alexander-Arnold - 16 https://t.co/13vHuUlxlO

Messi, however, has comprehensively outscored De Bruyne (13 vs 4) and also has one more league assist (13 vs 12) to his name this season.