Paris Saint-Germain's Worst Transfers in the QSI-Era
When you are one of only a few teams in a league that can spend big money, the spotlight will always be on every move you make. Ever since Qatari Sports Investment (QSI) got involved with Paris Saint-Germain, the club’s spending has moved into a different stratosphere.
That brings its own pressures. Buying a 70 percent stake in the club, QSI's money started appearing at the end of the 2011/12 summer transfer window. They started by signing Jeremy Menez and Blaise Matuidi for under £7 million each and Kevin Gameiro from Lorient for around £10 million.
They were all blown out of the water when the Qataris helped the Parisians seal a £35 million move for Palermo's Javier Pastore. That was the deal that ushered in the new era in the French capital and things would never be the same again.
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"Pastore is a marquee signing for PSG and French football," former Tottenham and St Etienne director of football Damien Comolli told BBC Sport at the time.
"He is a very, very talented boy. He could have a massive impact at PSG and in French football. PSG looked at Ganso and Adel Taarabt, but they decided to go for Pastore.”
With increased spending power, mistakes will always be made, and although the club has completed a lot of good moves, there have been some bad decisions, too.
It's not just transfers that they have sometimes got wrong over the last five years. There will always be regrets over Kingsley Coman being mistreated and allowed to leave, especially after his development for Juventus and Bayern Munich, then helping France to the final of UEFA Euro 2016.
The continued loan moves of Youssouf Sabaly and Jean-Christophe Bahebeck raise eyebrows over their inability to help youth progress and give them a chance. At some point in four different spells away from the club, you need to decide if they are good enough or you must cut them adrift.
Looking at the worst transfers made in the QSI-era, working chronologically, Diego Lugano has to be first on this list.
Before the likes of Thiago Silva and Marquinhos would command their position in the back four, the Uruguayan defender arrived from Fenerbahce to help bolster the defence. It soon became apparent he wasn't going to cut it at the Parc des Princes.
Lugano looked off the pace. Key mistakes, plus injuries cut his time at the club short. For someone so tall, he disappointed in the air and was often caught out of position.
His time in the capital was cut short; first, he was loaned out to Malaga and then left on a free transfer to West Bromwich Albion.
When players leave France for England, with increased wages and exposure, they are usually ruling themselves out of a Ligue 1 return.
Yohan Cabaye was a huge hit when he moved from Lille to Newcastle United, but in January 2014, when he was looking for a move, there was only one club in France able to match his and the north-east club's demands.
At the time he was easily Newcastle's best player, running the team's attack playing in the No.10 playmaker role. He was looking to move on, and despite interest elsewhere, he chose the French capital.
For PSG, it made some sense. Although paying more than £21 million, they were picking up a French international and another body in the midfield.
For the player, it made little sense. He was joining a club that was enjoying great success with Blaise Matuidi, Marco Verratti and Thiago Motta in a flat 4-3-3, and there wasn't much room for someone who had impressed playing behind the attack.
"Yohan Cabaye has now scored more league goals for Crystal Palace (2) than he managed all last season for PSG (1). pic.twitter.com/g8LzOe1ufx
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) September 27, 2015"
Even for his country, Cabaye played as the deepest of the three midfielders. In Paris, it was a much different style of play, and he never looked comfortable in the capital. He failed to impress when given an opportunity, he struggled, everyone could see he wasn't happy and it was a surprise that he stayed as long as he did.
Crystal Palace paid just under £12 million to reunite him with Alan Pardew, and he definitely looks a lot more settled in the English capital.
Much in the same vein as Cabaye's transfer, the move to bring Benjamin Stambouli to the Parc des Princes should never have happened.
Ever since he won the 2012 Ligue 1 title with Montpellier, the player has made a couple of bad decisions that have really impacted his career.
Playing for MHSC, Stambouli showed heart, passion and great promise. However, he was clearly limited and never going to be a great player at an elite level.
In all honesty, players like him are found all over Ligue 1, and there is an argument that there could have been one or two options in the PSG academy who could have filled that role.
Even Tottenham Hotspur never really wanted him. Morgan Schneiderlin, via France Football (h/t the Evening Standard), was their first choice. But when Southampton refused to sell their French midfielder, the London club signed the Tesco Value option.
PSG can thank their lucky stars that Schalke stepped in this summer and paid them roughly the same fee they paid the London club last summer.
Christopher Nkunku and Lorenzo Callegari have shown enough promise that they are a better option in the midfield. Hopefully, Stambouli can find a home in Gelsenkirchen, but it was never going to be in Paris.
The deal on Wednesday to move back to Chelsea almost saved David Luiz from this list. However, it's still not enough to save the fact that the club initially paid £50 million for the Brazilian.
In the end, it turned out to be around £20 million for two seasons; however, it could have cost the club much more in revenue and opportunities lost.
You have to wonder just how close Marquinhos came to leaving the club, linked with multiple moves to Spain, per Telefoot (h/t Get French Football News), and England.
That would have been worse for the club than anything they could have paid for David Luiz.
Good enough for Ligue 1, but if the defender thinks that the French league is like "playing FIFA on beginner level," he needs to stop playing against one-star teams.
Playing against the smaller clubs is fine, but time and time again he was caught out when the likes of Monaco and Lyon offered a challenge, not to mention his performances in the Champions League.
Mostly, PSG's moves in the transfer market have proved worthwhile. There are still questions over the long-term success of people like Lucas Moura, Javier Pastore and Edinson Cavani, but they still have time.
Also, their moves can be viewed on a different level, helping the club raise its level, transforming the image of PSG and helping them push into that elite bracket.
The other four above will always be seen in a negative light, mistakes that QSI need to learn from going forward.
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