Edinson Cavani Departure Would Usher in New Era at Paris Saint-Germain

Since Edinson Cavani set foot in Paris there has been constant speculation linking him with a move away from the French capital. Despite the closure of the transfer window, reports continue to surface that PSG may be willing to sell the striker, but only for the right price.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s contract is up at the end of the season, and if they choose to sell his Uruguayan teammate in the same summer, it would undoubtedly usher in a new era at the Parisian club.

Predictably, a deadline-day move to Arsenal failed to materialise, but “reports in Spain” cited by Bruce Archer of the Daily Express, suggest that PSG would be willing to sell in January.

That is extremely unlikely, especially with PSG’s Champions League campaign starting on September 15 against Malmo. Cavani will be cup-tied, meaning a winter move wouldn’t benefit the player, club or Arsenal.

The London side weren’t willing to pay the £50 million valuation, according to Rob Draper of the MailOnline, so it would be a surprise to see them match it for someone they couldn’t use in the Champions League.

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

Although El Matador has scored two goals in four games this season, dig deeper and you'll find his performances have been far from sparkling. Even in Week 4 when he scored twice against Monaco, Cavani was almost invisible in the first half:

"

Cavani again for PSG. 0-2. Assist by Ibra. Cavani didn't do everything right tonight. He missed a lot of things but still scored two goals!

— Julien Laurens (@LaurensJulien) August 30, 2015"

Previously, against Lille, Gazelec and Montpellier, he has been quiet and unimpressive. There is a certain irony that in the only game he found the back of the net in was after Ibrahimovic made his return.

A lot has been made about Cavani’s disappointment in playing out wide when the Swede is fit, but this is far from the problem. The Uruguayan was able to play as the centre-forward in the first three games of the season, but not only did he fail to score, he was also disappointing overall.

Last season he finished with 18 goals, but again, scratch beneath the surface and it shows Cavani’s flaws—with and without Ibrahimovic. Scoring 10 goals in his last seven games masks over the fact he went nine games without a goal in the league.

"

Edinson Cavani has now gone 544 minutes without a goal in Ligue 1. In his last 933 minutes he has scored twice. #Drought #PSG

— Andrew Gibney (@Gibney_A) March 21, 2015"

The striker has always maintained his happiness in the French capital but always comments on where he has to play being an issue. In an interview with Canal+ (h/t ESPN FC), the former Napoli player said:

"

I came to play as a centre-forward with Zlatan [Ibrahimovic], and after, things changed for a variety of reasons.

Everything else is perfect in Paris. The club has behaved very well towards me. I have had some difficult moments personally, and they protected me, supported me. The fans have also always supported me. I think I'm in one of the best places in the world.

"

PSG and Laurent Blanc have always maintained that Cavani would only leave when the time was right for the club.

“The wish to leave must correspond with the desires of the club,” Blanc told Le Parisien (h/t ESPN FC). “If we want a strong institution, it's necessary for the club to be more important than the players who represent it."

It was always expected that Cavani would be handed the reins to the PSG attack on a full-time basis once Ibrahimovic left the club, but with his inability to lead the line with conviction during the Swede’s absence, PSG may finally consider letting the forward leave the club.

Replacing their two main goal threats over the last three seasons will not be easy, but it would also give them a chance to re-shape and transform the attack for the next three or four seasons.

Despite being two fantastic individual players, the Ibrahimovic-Cavani combination has never quite linked up as they would have hoped. PSG could wipe the slate clean and push forward with a new-look strike force.

It would no doubt be costly, but it could be what Les Parisiens need to move up to the next level.