PSG: What Leonardo's Resignation Means for the Ligue 1 Champions

Just days after hearing that his original nine-month ban for pushing a referee had been extended to 12 months, as per ESPN FC, Paris Saint-Germain sporting director Leonardo announced that he will resign from his position.

The French champions reluctantly accepted his resignation before officially confirming the news according to ESPN FC.

In terms of the proposed Edinson Cavani deal that looks probable later on this week, it appears unlikely to stop that.

‘El Matador’ will almost certainly become a PSG player still and his agents were confirmed by Football-Italia, to have left Italy for Paris earlier in the day before the news of Leonardo’s resignation broke.

The deal for the Uruguayan though will surely be Leonardo’s last big-name signing for the capital club.

However, he is expected to complete a number of other deals, most notably the signing of highly rated French left-back Lucas Digne from Lille as reported by La Voix du Nord (h/t ESPN FC), before leaving his role.

Once the transfer window is closed, Leonardo’s role would have essentially been obsolete as he is banned from official club duty on match days.

But PSG could be in trouble before the window closes given that the current squad is made up almost entirely of the Brazilian’s signings.

Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Ezequiel Lavezzi are just three players signed by the 43-year-old and currently vital first team members who were signed because of his extensive contacts and personal relations.

The uncertainty surrounding their futures is likely to continue.

As ESPN FC reports, Silva in particular will be the topic of heated debate after speculation in Spain has suggested that he has agreed a five-year deal with Barcelona, something he and his agent Paulo Tonietto have since denied to RAC 1 radio station (h/t Sky Sports).

Potential exits for the likes of Silva and Marco Verratti cannot be ruled out.

The subject of Ancelotti’s departure is something else that will also make another appearance.

This time though, we are far more likely to hear why the Italian decided to leave.

Speculation in France (h/t ESPN FC) during his drawn-out exit suggested that he was not entirely happy with Leonardo’s hands-on approach to the team and the playing side of things; something Ancelotti felt was solely his domain.

The two-time Champions League winner refused to elaborate on his reasons for wanting to leave a team that he had just won a first title in 19 years, but the rupture between the pair was thought to be severe.

PSG put their faith in the Brazilian at that time, before the extent of the appeal against his initial nine-month ban had been heard, and that decision has backfired disastrously.

Now that it is known, the inefficient and highly embarrassing search that PSG embarked upon that resulted in Laurent Blanc’s appointment looks particularly costly.

The capital club were banking on being able to put Leonardo in place for the season as a temporary measure while they pursued a candidate of higher quality, popularly though to be Arsenal coach Arsene Wenger.

When it became clear that promoting him from within was impossible due to the delayed court appeal, the club took other measures and turned to Blanc.

RMC Radio suggested in aftermath of Leonardo’s resignation (in French) that he has lost faith in the project after PSG’s decision to appoint ‘Le President’ in what might be an interim role as PSG coach until a higher quality coach becomes available.

The report also suggests that the Brazilian and club President Nasser Al-Khelaifi had a strong disagreement, further undermining the former player’s position in the French capital.

Whatever happens next though, it appears that the signing of Cavani and PSG’s lavishly assembled team who so far only have one solitary Ligue 1 trophy to their name under Qatar Sports Investments, will be Leonardo’s legacy.

The former AC and Inter Milan man has played a massive role in the French side’s rapid rise to the summit of the European game, but it has not been without its wobbles.

His behaviour last season became highly erratic and after criticising the team, one that he was responsible for building, he clashed with the likes of Ibrahimovic.

All of that before infamously barging into referee Alexandre Castro following a 1-1 draw with Valenciennes in May.

PSG look set to pay the price now for putting their faith in Leonardo, losing Ancelotti and now losing the Brazilian too.

Just how dear that price is, we will have to wait and see.