Why Left-Back Is Area PSG Need to Address Most in Final Week of Transfer Window
The Ligue 1 summer transfer window will shut next Monday, and Paris Saint-Germain are expected to add to offseason arrivals Kevin Trapp, Benjamin Stambouli and Angel Di Maria before then.
According to Gianluca Di Marzio, PSG’s Lucas Digne is set to complete his proposed loan move—with an option to buy—to AS Roma on Tuesday, and the French international has reportedly been granted permission by PSG to travel to the Italian capital to complete the move.
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Despite the fact that Digne is now free to leave Parc des Princes for Stadio Olimpico, the French champions are still no closer to bringing in a replacement.
With only one player—the evergreen veteran Maxwell—to play left-back, acquiring a second player is absolutely necessary, and the only position the club should be addressing in the coming week is that full-back slot.
AS Monaco’s Layvin Kurzawa was PSG’s first choice to come in and provide competition for the Brazilian in place of compatriot Digne, but Dominique Severac of Le Parisien reports that negotiations between the capital and principality clubs have now broken down.
Another French source, L’Equipe, also claims that Les Parisiens and Les Monegasques are no longer discussing the transfer of the France international after the latter party decided to end the negotiations.
Considering that Monaco are on the eve of an important UEFA Champions League play-off second leg against Valencia CF, there is a possibility that the subject of Kurzawa is discussed once again after the clash at Stade Louis II on Tuesday.
PSG fans will no doubt remember a similar scenario when the French giants were linked with a move for AC Milan’s Thiago Silva.
After going quiet for a short while after reports that the Ligue 1 side had pulled out of talks, the Brazilian arrived in Paris and has gone on to become captain and one of the most important figures in the capital club’s ambitious project.
Should PSG fail to bring in a replacement by midweek, the chances of the French champions going back in for Kurzawa are greater, especially if Leonardo Jardim’s men have been unable to turn over their first-leg deficit.
Until then, Real Madrid’s Fabio Coentrao appears to be the leading candidate for Laurent Blanc’s men to replace Digne.
According to Marca’s Jose Luis Calderon, the Spanish giants are looking for around €15 million for the Portuguese international, but the aforementioned Le Parisien and L’Equipe reports suggest a loan deal.
If PSG decide against Coentrao as well, then they can always revisit the likes of FC Lorient’s Raphael Guerreiro and SSC Napoli’s Faouzi Ghoulam. Those two players were linked with the Ligue 1 juggernaut earlier this summer before Kurzawa became the prime target.
However, regardless of the player that PSG eventually choose to pursue, they must make sure that they land their target before next week.
Blanc’s squad would be left with a sizable chink in its armour if Digne is not replaced, so bringing in one body to replace another is a basic necessity. However, left-back is not the only area that an argument for reinforcements can be made at this time.
The 1-0 win away at Montpellier HSC last Friday threw up an interesting potential weakness in the squad.
Javier Pastore’s forced substitution with an injury scare inside of 10 minutes at Stade de la Mosson meant that without Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Angel Di Maria and Marco Verratti on the field, PSG had next to no creativity on the pitch.
Admittedly this early season is a strange time for Les Parisiens, with Pastore still recovering from Copa America duty this summer, Ibrahimovic making his way back from a knee problem and Di Maria working hard to regain full fitness after a summer nursing a hamstring issue.
Add in an unexpected injury or suspension, like Verratti’s hip problem last week, and all of a sudden there is little to no creative spark in the PSG ranks.
Could it be possible that Blanc needs an extra midfield schemer to possess adequate squad depth?
With Ibrahimovic, Pastore, Di Maria and Verratti all fit, there will be little to no space in the champion's squad for a new creative talent. Although all were out at the same time against Montpellier once Pastore had been withdrawn, the chances of another scenario like that befalling Blanc is slim.
There is an argument for adding one more creative player, but if that were to happen, then the chances of upsetting an already significant squad member would also be increased.
A similar argument could be made for an extra striking option.
In the absence of Ibrahimovic so far this season, Edinson Cavani has failed to take his opportunity to impress in his preferred central role, and because of that, PSG are lacking a cutting edge in front of goal.
Midfielder Blaise Matuidi currently leads the club’s scoring charts, and Thiago Silva and Lucas Moura have both found the net before the Uruguayan.
Promising teenage attacking talent Jean-Kevin Augustin has been handed a few chances to impress since the start of the term, but filling Ibrahimovic and Cavani’s shoes at just 18 years of age is a big task; over a prolonged period of time, it could prove detrimental to PSG’s ambitions.
With Ibrahimovic getting older and seemingly more injury-prone, it leaves Cavani as Blanc’s only real senior striking option. The French capital outfit could perhaps use an experienced striker who knows how to find the back of the net, but will also not expect to start many games.
A 34-year-old Samuel Eto’o, before he opted to sign for Turkish side Antalyaspor, would have been the perfect candidate. The former Cameroonian international has plenty of experience and is still relatively quick and very fit. He also speaks the language and would know that he cannot command a starting role in every game.
An extra attacking option is not absolutely necessary, but it could be a useful addition for Blanc, especially in Ligue 1 once PSG head into the business end of the season with plenty of domestic and continental cup commitments.
However, at the moment, the priority for Les Parisiens is to bring in a replacement for Digne at left-back. If they don’t do that by the time the transfer window closes next week, then they will be forced to keep Youssouf Sabaly and make do with him as a replacement.
The 22-year-old would not be a bad option for PSG to fall back on, but at the same time, he is not good enough to push Maxwell for his starting role. The idea was to replace Digne with a player capable of working the Brazilian harder than the French international did in his time at Parc des Princes.
PSG now have a race against time in order to fill the position, and it remains to be seen whether either one of Kurzawa or Coentrao will ultimately arrive in the capital.
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