Why Paris Saint-Germain Will Not Regret Keeping Edinson Cavani

Certain players seem to suit certain transfer rumours.

This summer, plenty of Premier League watchers were demanding that both Arsenal and Manchester United go out and buy a big-name forward as they looked to reel in both Chelsea and Manchester City at the top end of the table, and there was one name that kept cropping up.

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Edinson Cavani would, it was believed, swap Paris Saint-Germain for a move to one of the English giants in a heartbeat. Here he is being linked with Arsenal by the the Independent just one day before the closure of the 2015 summer transfer window, while his links with Manchester United were a little earlier in the summer—such as in the Guardian in July.

Both rumours seemed to suggest that the Uruguayan was prepared to turn his back on the French capital in a bid to climb out of the vast shadow cast by Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but they ignored the fact Cavani worked well in tandem with the Swede last season and Ibrahimovic’s PSG contract runs out next summer.

Cavani—who scored his first two Ligue 1 goals of the season in the 3-0 win over Monaco just before the international break—appears to be broadly happy in Paris, although when he spoke about his future in July, he did so with something of a caveat, telling L'Equipe (h/t ESPN FC):

"

Listen, lots of things were said last season, and I think that could have been avoided.

What I can say today is that the club knows very well what my objectives are and what my way of thinking is. That's the most important thing.

I have a contract with PSG that I have to respect. I feel very good at Paris, where I'm happy, and I have always said that. I have just spoken to the club about certain details that I don't want to talk about.

"

That was enough to send the rumour mill into motion. But despite all of the noise and bluster, Cavani never really seemed to be close to a move to England for one simple reason—neither the player nor his club wanted him to go.

Manchester United ended up with Anthony Martial, and Arsenal ended up with angry fans criticising Arsene Wenger’s decision not to spend money, but PSG retained the services of a forward who is one of the very best around at doing what he does.

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It is widely interpreted that those comments above were Cavani referring to his desire to play as the central figure in PSG’s attack, a role that has been the domain of Ibrahimovic for three years.

But at 34 next month, not even the great man can go on at the top level for much longer, and if Cavani is prepared to wait for a few months, then both he and his club are extremely unlikely to regret this summer’s decision to stay together.

Even until that time, the Uruguayan is likely to get more than his fair share of chances to find the net—especially with creative talents such as Angel Di Maria, Lucas Moura and Javier Pastore around to provide him with opportunities.

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In a video for Unibet previewing the Ligue 1 season, French journalist Julien Laurens stated his belief that Cavani could outscore his illustrious team-mate Ibrahimovic this season given that he’d be stationed more centrally in a 4-4-2 formation, something that Laurent Blanc has agreed with so far this season.

If, as is expected, Blanc’s long-term plan is to revert to a 4-3-3 with a central striker, Cavani might find himself as the prime candidate to fill that role next summer, and with a season of learning in close proximity to Ibrahimovic behind him.

Win-win? Quite possibly, and Cavani’s decision to stay put in Paris will have been vindicated.

Both club and player wanted to stay together, and that could be to the benefit of both in the long run, even if Arsenal, Manchester United and others will have to remain frustrated.