"Pay 100m for Dembele," "Hurting my soul" β PSG fans lose their minds as 26-year-old starts against Inter Milan
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) fans have expressed their frustration over Carlos Soler starting their pre-season friendly against Inter Milan at the Japan National Stadium in Tokyo on Tuesday (August 1).
The Parisians are set to take on Simone Inzaghi's side in their fourth friendly of the ongoing pre-season preparations. They defeated Le Havre 2-0 on July 21, drew 0-0 with Al-Nassr on July 25 and then slumped to a 3-2 loss at the hands of Cerezo Osaka on July 28.
Prior to their contest against the Nerazzurri, the Parisians announced their starting XI with Soler as a right-sided winger, on social media.
PSG lineup (4-3-3): Gianluigi Donnarumma; Achraf Hakimi, Marquinhos, Milan Skriniar, Lucas Hernandez; Warren Zaire-Emery, Manuel Ugarte; Vitinha; Carlos Soler, Marco Asensio, Fabian Ruiz
Here's how the Parisian fans reacted to their club's recent teamsheet:
, Soler striking@PSGhub Hernandez at LBπ, Soler strikingππ, Marquinhos startsπππ, Ruiz on the wingsππππ
@PSGhub Small club
@PSGhub Soler ππ
@PSGhub Pay 100 mil for Dembele you need it
@PSGhub Such a mid team omg
@PSGhub That midfield is hurting my soul
@PSGhub Soler is playing ffs.
@PSGhub Soler,Fabian and Asensio front 3 pic.twitter.com/8HCuuFhEfw
Soler, 26, has proved to be an underwhelming signing for the Parisians ever since he arrived from Valencia in a switch worth up to β¬21 million in 2022. He registered six goals and four assists in 1528 minutes of first-team action, spread across 35 matches last season.
A right-footed box-to-box operator, the Spaniard failed to make the most of his first-team chances last campaign under former boss Christophe Galtier. He is currently below Marco Verratti, Manuel Ugarte, Vitinha, and Fabian Ruiz in the pecking order at the Ligue 1 side.
PSG, on the other hand, have reached a verbal agreement to sign Barcelona star Ousmane Dembele to strengthen their offensive depth this summer. They failed to trigger the Frenchman's β¬50 million release clause by July 31 and are in talks with the Blaugrana over the transfer fee now, as per acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
Meanwhile, here's how Inter Milan are set to line up against PSG:
Inter Milan lineup (3-5-2): Filip Stankovic; Matteo Darmian, Francesco Acerbi, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Federico Dimarco; Marcus Thuram, Lautaro Martinez
Carlos Soler says he is set to stay at PSG
Earlier this week, Carlos Soler shared his thoughts on his initial issues regarding settling in at PSG. He elaborated (h/t French Football Weekly):
"It is true that the first season has been special for me... especially because I arrived on the last day of the transfer window. I couldn't do the internship in Japan, nor be with my teammates during the preparation. When I arrived, they had played five or six matches."
Asserting that he is keen to remain at the Parisians, Soler continued:
"When you arrive at a big club, it is difficult to find a place among the players of the team. But the truth is that today I feel good, confident, and I think I can show a much better face and can help my club, my team-mates and the club. I want to stay in Paris, there is no doubt."
Soler, whose current contract is set to expire in June 2027, has been speculated to join Atletico Madrid in the ongoing summer transfer window. However, he is likely to stay at the Parisians in a squad role.