3 PSG Players Who Are Fighting for Their Futures in 2015-16
This summer has already seen Angel Di Maria, Kevin Trapp and Benjamin Stambouli arrive at Paris Saint-Germain. AS Monaco left-back Layvin Kurzawa is expected to complete his move to the capital shortly, per France Bleu (h/t ESPN FC’s Ian Holyman).
With the France international’s arrival, competition for places will be stronger than ever at Paris Saint-Germain.
Laurent Blanc has an enviable amount of squad depth at his disposal in a season where the French champions are expected to remain dominant domestically and make it past the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
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There are a number of players in the current squad who are not guaranteed a starting XI role and a number of those players are fighting for their futures.
The first player who is under pressure to prove that he can still add something to the squad is Ezequiel Lavezzi.
The Argentina international has been linked with a return to Italy with Internazionale, and his agent, Alejandro Mazzoni, recently admitted to Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football-Italia) that a move is possible.
If that switch does not materialise, Lavezzi will have to prove himself if he wants to remain in Paris past next summer.
El Pocho is into the final 12 months of his PSG contract, and with the arrival of fellow Argentina international Angel Di Maria this summer, he is likely to get fewer opportunities to impress.
It took Lavezzi until the latter stages of last season, notably a treble in a 6-1 home win over Lille OSC in Ligue 1, to prove that he had something to offer Blanc. The 30-year-old cannot afford another slow start to this campaign.
Right-back Gregory van der Wiel is another PSG player fighting for his future at the club.
The Netherlands international is currently behind Serge Aurier in the pecking order, and the Ivorian’s strong start to this season means that is unlikely to change anytime soon.
Like Lavezzi, Van der Wiel is into the last 12 months of his contract in the French capital. However, according to L’Equipe (h/t Get French Football News), PSG have offered the Dutchman a new deal and he could extend his stay.
Regardless of whether or not he puts pen to paper and commits his future to Les Parisiens, the 27-year-old faces an uphill task in winning his place in the side back from Aurier.
Van der Wiel’s last season was not nearly as productive as the one before, proving a far less reliable source of assists on the right and generally providing less of a threat from wide.
By the end of the term, Aurier was building up momentum and made the starting role his own with some strong displays at the start of this season.
Van der Wiel’s short-term future might be secured by the potential contract renewal, but long-term he faces a fight to get himself back in Blanc’s plans for this PSG side, and he will likely play second fiddle to Aurier for the remainder of the campaign.
Another player who is no longer first-choice in the French capital is goalkeeper Salvatore Sirigu.
The Italy international has lost his place in the team to new arrival Trapp, and the Azzurri star does not look likely to win it back anytime soon.
According to Le Parisien’s Frederic Gouaillard (in French), the 28-year-old remains convinced that he can still regain his place as Blanc’s first-choice goalkeeper from Trapp. However, the reality is that he faces an uphill task, with Le President keen to keep the German between the sticks.
Sirigu has already turned down a loan move to OGC Nice, as mentioned in the same report, so he looks set to stay at PSG until at least the next transfer window.
If the Italian fails to impress between now and January though, his 2016 UEFA European Championship hopes with Antonio Conte’s Azzurri squad might be in jeopardy, and that could force a move just to get first-team football.
Sirigu needs to take any and every chance he gets to impress because it could be his last. With Blanc’s mind already seemingly made up, he may well fear deep down that he will be fighting a losing battle.
Of all three of those players mentioned who are fighting for their futures, Lavezzi and Sirigu are arguably the most at risk. The offer of a new contract to Van der Wiel gives the Netherlands international at least some reassurance over his future.
Lavezzi has less than 12 months left to either earn a new deal or identify his next club for the end of the season, while Sirigu has Euro 2016 to worry about.
Should the current situation be the same come January, the Italian is likely to be the first of those three to accept that he must move away in order to play regularly once again.
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