Strengthening the Attack Is PSG's Most Pressing Summer Priority

As Paris Saint-Germain begin preparations for the new season, the one area that needs the most attention is without doubt the attack. Even discounting the departure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, it would already have required work, his absence just magnifies the situation.

When you look at what’s left, it casts huge doubts over the Ligue 1 club's ability to compete at the highest level without serious investment.

Edinson Cavani still has a huge shadow cast over, not only his future, but his actual ability to play as PSG’s main striker next season. With the club linked with numerous names to replace him, it seems unlikely that president Nasser Al-Khelaifi will follow up his strong backing of the Uruguayan.

He told Le Parisien (h/t Goal):

"

I sometimes feel that the media does not see things well.

He [Ibrahimovic] was a scorer, a great scorer. [But] Cavani is one of the best in the world. Watch his goals throughout his career. Cavani is one of the best in this position, why look elsewhere?

It is a change of the project. We will recruit players who bring more to the team. We will look for players who will help the team to take the next steps on the field.

We need players who eat the grass, and are ready to die for the club and this jersey.

"

His staunch backing of Cavani causes problems for recruitment this summer.

There is no doubt that the club needs to have more than one quality striker in the squad, but they must be careful as to how they treat Cavani.

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Rush into a big-money move and you are ultimately telling the Uruguayan—despite backing him in the media—that you don't have confidence in his ability to lead the line.

The 29-year-old has already had to play second fiddle to Ibrahimovic for three years, so he is not going to want to feel that he will only be the back-up once again.

Do that and not only will you lose the 38 goals from Ibrahimovic, you’ll lose another 19 from Cavani. Regardless of his flaws and his constant ability to disappoint for PSG, played as the No. 9 over a consistent basis, you would expect him to score over 25 league goals next season.

The problem is, with the chances he will be offered, he could probably score over 30.

If Unai Emery is the man to take over from Laurent Blanc this summer, per the Metro, then you would expect him to continue with his 4-2-3-1 formation that he has used to great success with Sevilla in the Europa League.

Playing Cavani as the centre-forward and Angel Di Maria on the right leaves a gap on the left side of the attack.

This has to be the club’s priority. There is space to sign a top-class left-sided forward and really change the focus of the attack. That’s what helped last season, bringing in Di Maria from Manchester United.

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His dynamic and intuitive play from the right caused endless problems in every competition. Not just a winger who keeps to the touchline, he was dropping deep, cutting inside, making runs, picking passes. He made everyone around him better, and he will be even more important next season.

Bringing in a similar player down the left would be the first step in improving the PSG attack. Both Lucas Moura and Javier Pastore have failed to fully convince during their time in Paris, but they could be utilised in a No. 10 role, so it would be worth holding on to both for next season—unless a good offer comes in.

That would be the best way to try and replace Ibrahimovic at first. You don’t have to sign someone to take his position, but you need someone who defenders would be wary of. A player that could score goals and make assists—just like the Swede did.

You are never going to replace what he brought to the team in terms of his presence, but you can still have a terrifying attack without him.

What PSG also need is a little more in the way of options off the bench. There is a massive gulf between starting with Cavani and bringing on a youngster like Jean-Kevin Augustin, then having to rely on him to help rest the former Napoli man.

When you look at the make-up of the other top teams in Europe, they have strength in depth at the forward position.

Over at Juventus, Massimiliano Allegri has Paulo Dybala, Simone Zaza, Mario Mandzukic and Alvaro Morata. All four play significant minutes, and the coach managed to keep them all relatively happy. German champions Bayern Munich can call upon Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller and Mario Gotze to play through the centre—with a selection of wingers to complement them on either side.

Any coach has to be able to keep players happy with the amount of minutes they are playing and what games they start. Whoever is coach next year will need to be able to do that if he wants more in the way of options.

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Then that leads to PSG’s youth system. Blanc has really failed to utilise the youth properly. Jean-Christophe Bahebeck has just finished his third unsuccessful loan spell away from the club, and a decision needs to be taken about his future.

Scoring just once in 16 games for AS Saint-Etienne isn’t going to rush anyone into giving him significant minutes. Yet, the French champions still have to decide what is the best thing to do. If they still believe he is a talent, keep him and play him. If not, sell him and cut him loose.

The club also has Augustin to play. He is younger and perhaps a better prospect as a No. 9. Then there is Odsonne Edouard. The 18-year-old striker has been huge in the youth teams of both club and country.

That gives PSG two excellent young strikers to complement the more experienced attacking players. Although the front line isn’t at the highest level right now, you have to believe the building blocks are there to create something special.

Quality down the wings, depth through the middle and handing opportunities to younger players, that’s how PSG will be able to strengthen their attack and take on Europe’s elite next season.