“Some players took advantage of the situation but now, it’s over” - Nasser Al-Khelaifi sends strong message to players over PSG project
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) president Nasser Al Khelaifi has declared that players who are not part of the “project” will be shown the door this summer. Al Khelaifi claimed that some players took advantage of the situation but it would not be tolerated henceforth.
PSG endured a disappointing campaign by their standards last term (2021-22) despite winning the Ligue 1 title. They were knocked out of the French Cup by Nice in the pre-quarterfinals in February. The following month, Real Madrid completed a heroic Champions League comeback (3-2 win) at their expense at the Santiago Bernabeu, knocking them out in the last-16 stage.
The more time that passes, the worse that this transfer gets on every level.
Neymar to PSG ruined the market. https://t.co/TD4S3BIgVI
The Parisians will look to improve upon their performances in the 2022-23 season, for which the club only want to keep important players who are committed to the cause. In a recent interview, PSG president Al Khelaifi drove the point home, claiming that any player who was not a part of the club’s future had to leave.
He said (via Fabrizio Romano):
“Our position is clear: players who are not part of the project have to leave this summer, there’s no other way.”
The president also claimed that some Parisian players exploited the situation, but declared that it was over.
Al Khelaifi added:
“Some players took advantage of the situation but now, it's over.”
PSG could sell many prominent names in the summer
As per Le Parisien’s report (via Paris Fans), PSG are planning for a complete squad overhaul in the summer. Luis Campos has already been brought in as a football advisor and former sporting director Antero Henrique could also help guide the ship. Henrique is set to be in charge of player departures and already has a list of players he wants to remove from the club.
Mauricio Pochettino has parted ways with PSG and the club is currently looking for a new manager.
Pochettino broke PSG’s offensive development. One of the worst coaches PSG has had in the recent times. He set them back 5 years. No one is talking about this. What a horrible stat for the man who had Mbappe Neymar Icardi Di Maria etc as main attackers. https://t.co/Vvu7SbiNQq
Sergio Rico, Layvin Kurzawa, Thilo Kehrer, Abdou Diallo, Leandro Paredes, Ander Herrera, Danilo Pereira, Idrissa Gana Gueye, Julian Draxler, and Mauro Icardi could leave the club this summer. Long-term servant Angel Di Maria is also set to depart as a free agent at the end of his contract on June 30.
With so many potential departures, Paris should be in a good place to recruit new players. It will be interesting to see which players end up wearing Paris’ navy blue kit next term.