1 Summer Transfer Rumour PSG Fans Do Not Want to Come True
UEFA confirmed on Friday that Paris Saint-Germain’s financial fair play (FFP) restrictions on spending and Champions League squad size have been lifted after the French giants met the targets set last year, according to PA Sport (h/t ESPN FC).
Now free to spend what they like on the transfer market—providing they balance their accounts each year—the French champions are reportedly set to make their first move of the summer window.
Per Le Parisien’s Sylvie De Macedo, PSG are on the verge of completing the signing of German goalkeeper Kevin Trapp from Eintracht Frankfurt. The player is expected to be on board by the time Laurent Blanc’s men head to Austria for their pre-season training camp in mid-July.
Trapp is highly rated in his native Germany, and the 24-year-old has represented his country up to under-21 level. Some see the former 1. FC Kaiserslautern man as a potential long-term successor to Bayern Munich’s Manuel Neuer in the Germany international setup.
PSG’s possible signing of Trapp appears to be designed to give current starting goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu greater competition. Considering the Italy international’s disappointing performances last season and long-standing criticism of his preference for punching the ball away instead of catching it, the move does make some sense.
However, as former PSG goalkeeper Gregory Coupet pointed out to RMC (h/t ESPN FC), Trapp’s arrival could destabilise the current hierarchy. Nicolas Douchez, the capital club’s backup 'keeper at present—but also an important dressing-room figure—would almost certainly be left with no real role to play.
Sirigu does need to be made to work harder for his starting berth, though, and Trapp’s possible introduction to the squad could see the emergence of a similar scenario at Parc des Princes to the one seen at Barcelona lately.
The Spanish champions play the older, more experienced Chile international Claudio Bravo in all of their league games, while highly rated young Germany international Marc-Andre ter Stegen takes care of all of the cup matches—domestic and continental.
It is feasible that PSG plan to do the same with Sirigu and Trapp, but there is also the possibility the Azzurri star could move on after four years in Paris if he cannot accept competition for his place in the team.
Of greater concern for most PSG fans, though, leading many to hope that Trapp’s arrival does not ultimately come to fruition, is what would happen to promising young goalkeeper Alphonse Areola—not whether Sirigu stays.
In the past few years, it has become obvious Les Parisiens possess a very special talent in the 22-year-old, and he has made impressive progress.
Areola was the hero as France won the 2013 FIFA U-20 World Cup in Turkey, saving two penalties against Uruguay when the final went to a shootout. A solid 2013-14 season on loan at RC Lens in Ligue 2 followed, and the gifted young goalkeeper spent last campaign with SC Bastia to continue his development in Ligue 1.
It is imperative Areola gets a taste of European football in the coming season, and his loan move to Spanish side Villarreal—where he will be filling in for the injured Sergio Asenjo for at least half of the campaign—is a win-win situation for all concerned parties.
Should Trapp arrive at Parc des Princes before the start of the new season, though, Areola could potentially return to the French capital and find himself behind the German and Sirigu in Blanc’s pecking order.
The PSG academy graduate is already too good to be a substitute goalkeeper, and assuming his loan spell in Spain goes well and he continues along his current trajectory, he will be good enough to challenge for a starting role at the Parc des Princes in 2016-17.
Areola could even be a dark horse for the third goalkeeping spot in Didier Deschamps’ France squad for the 2016 UEFA European Championship on home soil next summer.
Many PSG and France fans already have the 22-year-old pegged as a future key figure for club and country, and he could realistically be first choice for more than the next decade. Assuming he is given a chance to challenge for a regular starting role upon his return from Villarreal, experiencing fierce competition at PSG would not necessarily be a bad thing for Areola.
However, the feeling is the Frenchman would have usurped Sirigu on his own and that Trapp’s arrival for a significant fee—reportedly more than double the amount paid for the Italian—will immediately put him ahead of Areola in the pecking order.
Very few clubs can boast a genuinely top-quality goalkeeper who has come through their own youth academy, but PSG look like they will be fortunate enough to do so in the not too distant future.
However, Areola will not wait around for long if it looks like he will not be given the chance to break into the starting XI upon his return.
Blanc and the French capital outfit are right to bring in a competitor for Sirigu, but it is also a little harsh on Douchez, who did very well when called upon last season.
Areola has the potential to be better than all of them, though, and PSG would be foolish to put too many obstacles in his way once he returns to Paris next summer.
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