Jese Rodriguez Oozes Talent, but His PSG Role Is Unclear

No matter the club or the player, when a team dips into the transfer market, the inquisitions begin. With Paris Saint-Germain, France's undisputed No. 1 club, the microscope is bigger and the focus more intense.

The signing of Jese Rodriguez from Real Madrid is a very interesting move from the Parisian giants and, as with any transfer move, you have to look at two areas.

What will the player bring that they don't already have—what new angle will he give them—and perhaps most importantly, where does he fit in the current system?

Tactically, just like he did at Sevilla, new PSG boss Unai Emery looks to have settled with his usual 4-2-3-1 formation. That's what he played during the pre-season games in America against Inter Milan, Leicester City and Real Madrid, and it was the same game plan when they destroyed Olympique Lyonnais 4-1 in their Trophee des Champions victory.

In front of the two central midfielders, Emery has four attacking positions to fill, and Jese is confident he can play anywhere in the final third.

He told the media during his first press conference:

"

I can play in all four positions in attack. I'm versatile and can play on the left or the right or in the middle… but I will play where the coach tells me to. I'm polyvalent. At any rate, I haven't spoken to the coach about it yet. I played a few matches with Real Madrid before coming here, but I didn't play in the most recent ones. So we'll just have to see what sort of shape I'm in and whether I'll be ready to go for our opening match against Bastia.

"

He's a player Emery will know well from his time coaching at Almeria, Valencia and Sevilla. Jese has always been considered a young player with considerable promise and talent, but the Las Palmas-born forward hadn't quite managed to break into the Real Madrid first team.

The closest he came to being a regular for Los Blancos was back in 2014, but in March that year, he suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury in his right knee. In just 18 games that campaign, he had managed to score five times and add four assists.

Most of his appearances had come off the bench, but it was his best return to date. However, it is the sort of setback that can make or break you as a player.

“I had a very tough time, but I think that things in life happen for a reason,” Jese said after the injury, per FourFourTwo. “Maybe I had the injury because I needed to learn and become a more mature footballer.”

Jean Catuffe/Getty Images

He came back, but with the Spanish giants continually signing superstar names like Gareth Bale and James Rodriguez, there became a sense that no matter what Jese achieved—he scored five goals and added six assists last season—he was never going to be that instant star they wanted at the Santiago Bernabeu.

An insight into the quality he can bring as a player is evident by the number of clubs that were linked with making a move, so PSG will be delighted that he chose to move to the French capital.

Jese added during his introductory press conference:

"

A lot of Spanish and English clubs were interested in me. But I'm happy to have joined Paris Saint-Germain. I think that the presence of Unai, as well as the conversations I had with the president and Patrick Kluivert, influenced my decision. I watched the club's most recent match, the Trophee des Champions. The team is very strong and gets forward quickly. That's the kind of football I like to play. I can't wait to meet up with my teammates.

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Despite his claim that he can play all over the attack, Jese is known as being a wide forward. That is where he has had most of his success in Spain, both internationally and domestically.

He has the ability to play on both sides of the pitch, which will be a huge advantage to Emery. Having players who can switch during games asks greater questions of defenders and makes for a more unpredictable side.

Favouring the left-hand side of the pitch, he has that unmistakable ability to drop a shoulder, beat his man and cut inside on to his right foot. With his head up, he will then look to find a team-mate or try to finish himself.

"

BREAKING: #PSG signed Jesé from #RMCF on a 5-year deal. Reported fee of €25m. Good deal: pic.twitter.com/QmMwRs8xDa

— Onefootball (@Onefootball) August 8, 2016"

Not just skilful, Jese has a passion for driving at full-backs and centre-backs. All of his goals last season came from inside the penalty area, per Squawka. That suggests that he could play as the centre-forward, but it's not something that has been seen on a regular basis.

However, on Saturday against Lyon, the lack of a recognised striker didn't do PSG any harm at all.

Hatem Ben Arfa was asked to lead the line and was flanked with Angel Di Maria on the left, Lucas Moura on the right and Javier Pastore as the No. 10.

The main issue with the signing of Jese is definitely not his ability. He is a player of great quality and was always going to be a top signing for someone this summer. It just isn't clear where PSG actually need another top talent in that area of the pitch.

Edinson Cavani will miss the opening game against Bastia, so there will be four attacking positions to fill. Yet when he is fit and available, the Uruguayan will get the nod up front.

Emery will then have to pick three players from Jese, Pastore, Ben Arfa, Lucas, Di Maria, Jean-Kevin Augustin, Jonathan Ikone—who was excellent in pre-season—and Jean-Christophe Bahebeck. Plus, they also completed the signing of Giovani Lo Celso, the Argentinian attacker who will stay at Rosario Central until January.

Squad depth is important; that was clear in the away loss to Manchester City in the UEFA Champions League. But you can have too much of a good thing.

"I think Jese is our last recruit this summer transfer window," president Nasser Al-Khelaifi told the press after unveiling Jese, per FourFourTwo. "We have a good team. We are very pleased with our recruitment."

What PSG perhaps needed more was an out-and-out centre-forward, not someone who might be able to play in that position. Cavani and Augustin are the only two recognised strikers in the squad.

On Saturday, perhaps, we got a glimpse into the future of the club. Without a No. 9, PSG were free-flowing and fluid in the final third. Emery has quickly transformed Laurent Blanc's rigid 4-3-3 into a quick, dynamic 4-2-3-1.

Jese fits into the club ethos and the style of player that PSG are always looking for, but his signing just seemed to come at a time when the club already has an abundance of talent at that one position.

It may be that one of the existing members of the squad will see his minutes reduced if Jese settles in well, but that in itself will question why the Spaniard was brought in this summer.

Competition for places is healthy; it breeds good performances and stops players resting on their laurels. You just don't want a number of young, talented prospects deciding that their future lies elsewhere—that is the danger, one that Jese is very familiar with in his time at Real Madrid.