It has taken a while, but Paris Saint-Germain has come to life this summer following the confirmation of Luis Enrique’s arrival as head coach following the replacement of Christophe Galtier. Moves for Milan Skriniar, Marco Asensio, Manuel Ugarte, Lee Kang-In and Cher Ndour lined up before the Spanish tactician was revealed.
Since then, the acquisitions of Lucas Hernandez and Xavi Simons followed and the Dutch international El Chadaille Bitshiabu was allowed to follow on a rental basis to RB Leipzig. Luis Enrique has compared a new squad to the only predecessor Galtier had since last season with Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos.
However, Neymar remains at the Parc des Princes despite the French champion’s desire to leave the Brazilian superstar, while Kylian Mbappé is hesitant to pledge his future to PSG and is reportedly up for sale. So, is this Parisian team better than the one that failed spectacularly last campaign, barely winning a historic 11th French title after failing the UEFA Champions League and Coupe de France?
Here’s what you need to know about the new additions:
Manuel Ugarte
PSG’s biggest summer spend to date, around $67 million, is Ugarte, who comes over from Sporting CP as the latest example of sports consultant Luis Campos looking to his native Portugal for the best of business. The Uruguayan international midfielder becomes a new option in the middle as Luis Enrique is figuring out whether to continue with the 3-4-3 system Galtier tried to implement or stick to his favored possession-based 4-3-3 style. Ugarte, on paper, is an all-encompassing defensive midfielder who, alongside Marco Verratti’s technical mastery, should give the position the power he’s been missing for some time. A lot will depend on whether they’re a couple or part of a trio, but Vitinha and Fabian Ruiz are interesting extra pieces to have around them.
Lee Kang-In
Arguably one of PSG’s most intriguing summer moves is that of Lee joining from Real Mallorca for around $25 million. The South Korea international offers offensive versatility in most major roles, despite spending more time in Spain and his contributions in goals and assists are fairly evenly distributed. However, moving Mallorca to a PSG side desperate for Champions League success is a giant leap and this doesn’t necessarily look like a move made with a starting XI role immediately in mind. Campos already gambled on back-up figures for the likes of Neymar and Messi last season, but failed miserably with Carlos Soler and Renato Sanches, two of the least impressive arrivals in the summer of 2022. Lee is younger at 22, so could be one for the future, but on the surface he’s a less obvious fit than Ugarte and Hernandez.
Milan Skriniar
Skriniar, a long-time target of Campos since his arrival in Paris, has come over from Inter for free and his arrival probably makes more sense than Hernandez’s for such a hefty fee. Despite his recent injury woes, the Slovakia international remains a strong central defensive option who has yet to reach 30 and was a leading figure for the Nerazzurri before his relationship with the Italian giants soured. Assuming his back problems are behind him, Skriniar could become another cornerstone for this PSG defense under Luis Enrique and it will be interesting to see if he quickly becomes an authoritative voice in a dressing room desperately in need of a no-nonsense approach and some discipline.
Lucas Hernandez
Entering from Bayern Munich for around $50 million, Lucas Hernandez is another key signing arriving at Parc des Princes after a lengthy injury layoff after just 13 minutes into France’s FIFA 2022 World Cup campaign in Qatar. A world champion with Les Bleus in 2018 and still only 27, the Marseille-born defender’s versatility will serve him well, especially as Luis Enrique moves between three- and four-man backlines. However, the big question is whether he will be the same player after his injury and the fact that Bayern have let him go suggests that PSG have taken a significant risk. Taking into account Presnel Kimpembe’s protracted recovery from injuries and Milan Skriniar’s recent troubles, there’s a chance Les Parisiens will have a fitness headache or two, despite a healthy-looking draft on paper.
Marco Asensio
Another free addition this summer is that of Marco Asensio, who comes over from Real Madrid after nine years at Santiago Bernabeu. Like Lee, the Spain international has a versatile profile, although he has spent more time outside, suggesting both have been brought in to address the major lack of breadth since Angel Di Maria’s departure. At 27 years old, Asensio should still have plenty in the tank, but the question has never been whether or not he has the potential to become a top performer. It has always been a lack of consistency rather than technical ability that has failed the Spaniard to really establish himself as a top player, but Luis Enrique who knows him well from their time with La Roja should bode well. Coming in for free reduces the risk factor on the PSG side, but his Madrid contract expired as he was frustrated that he was good but not quite good enough to regularly crack the XI there.
Xavi Simons
Attacking talent Xavi Simons returns for around $6 million after a season away from PSV Eindhoven, who will not make an immediate appearance as he is on loan at RB Leipzig for the 2023/24 season. Given his impressive breakaway run in the Eredivisie with a joint record of 19 goals and eight assists, it’s no surprise that PSG have exercised their option to bring him back. However, Simons’ future role will depend on what happens over the next 12 months with Neymar and Mbappé, with at least one of the two expected to leave. Should the 20-year-old catch fire in the Bundesliga, he will be ready to play a major role in Paris from next summer.
Dear Ndor
Perhaps PSG’s biggest unknown to date is Cher Ndour, who comes on free from Benfica and has just won the UEFA under-19 Euro title with Italy. A midfielder by trade who has impressed at youth level, it will be interesting to see if he is loaned out or develops quickly enough to land a role in the senior team to continue his development.