Why PSG Would Be Right to Sell Ezequiel Lavezzi This Summer

Take away Ezequiel Lavezzi’s hat-trick against Lille in April and the Argentine winger has not had the best season for Paris Saint-Germain. Per Fichajes.net (h/t Metro), rumours persist regarding his future and if the opportunity presents itself, PSG would be right to sell Lavezzi this summer.

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Manchester United ‘prepare huge transfer offer for PSG attacker Ezequiel Lavezzi’: http://t.co/wiP3Rzo0P2 #MUFC pic.twitter.com/2jmBwlDw0e

— Metro Sport (@Metro_Sport) May 4, 2015"

On a very basic level, selling Lavezzi would give PSG the option to bring in a similar player, perhaps someone younger, in a different style and also help promote Jean-Christophe Bahebeck from the fringes of the first team.

As previously stated in this column, there is no reason to hand Bahebeck a new contract until 2019 if PSG have no desire to play him. When you compare the productivity of both the youngster and Lavezzi, it is difficult to understand what the Argentine brings to the team.

Lavezzi has made 28 appearances this season, 18 from the start, averaging 55 minutes per game and he has managed to score seven goals, but only one assist.

In comparison, Bahebeck has the same amount of assists as Lavezzi, Edinson Cavani and Yohan Cabaye combined in just 558 minutes over 15 appearances. Add two goals to his tally and Lavezzi’s season pales into insignificance.

Massimo Pinca/Associated Press

The 30-year-old became a star at Napoli, but perhaps we shouldn’t be surprised by his contribution to the PSG attack. In five years in Serie A, he never scored more than 10 league goals in a single season, but he did create five goals in his final season and racked up 12 assists during the 2010/11 season.

Lavezzi has shown in the past that he has the ability to create chances, but in the last two seasons in Paris he has only added one assist in the league. For a forward playing beside Cavani and Zlatan Ibrahimovic, this is not good enough for a team trying to become one of the best sides in Europe.

Last season, Lavezzi’s performances before the Christmas break left a lot to be desired. He had only found the net twice before the turn of the year, but his performances in the second half of the season turned it around.

From January to March he scored another four, including two in PSG’s 3-0 win over Bastia. Important goals against Bayer Leverkusen and Chelsea in the Champions League, showed just what he was capable of, but it was all too little, too late.

Nick Wass/Associated Press

This season, after returning late due to the World Cup, his levels have severely dropped. It’s not just his inability to create chances for others, but his finishing has left a lot to be desired.

According to WhoScored.com, Lavezzi has attempted 33 shots on goal, seven have found the back of the net, but this is masked heavily by the hat-trick against Lille. Even in that game, two of the goals were put on a plate for him.

Strangely, the third was a very well taken goal on his right foot, adding to the frustration that there is definitely a good player there—just not a great player.

What he does bring is drive, pace and a direct style that PSG often lack at times. However, those qualities are not enough on their own. You want Lavezzi to bring that ability, plus contribute more in the final third, but now it looks like it’s going to be too late for him to show that side of his game in Paris.

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@Richie_Haddad17 Lavezzi I can see leaving. Pastore and Lucas have been PSG's two best attackers this season, so will go nowhere.

— Robin Bairner (@RBairner) May 3, 2015"

PSG still have Bahebeck, Lucas Moura and Javier Pastore, plus Cavani and Ibrahimovic in attack, even without Lavezzi, or a replacement, the forward line has enough.

If selling Lavezzi helped PSG bring in another option, there should be no hesitation to sell him this summer.