Paris Saint-Germain
PSG still favourites for title but can Depay or David engineer a stunning upset?
Out of Europe’s big five leagues, Ligue 1, the top division of French football, gets overlooked the most. While some people have been bored of Paris Saint-Germain’s dominance in the league over the last few years, that hasn’t been the case this year with this season set for a dramatic climax. At the time of writing only six points separate first to fourth, so here is an in-depth analysis of all the teams in the race for the French title. AS Monaco – current position – 4th The underdogs at the moment in the top four, principality side AS Monaco have pulled themselves back into the reckoning for the French crown this season. AS Monaco are the only side to have prevented PSG from claiming the title since the 2012-13 season with their success in the 2016-17 campaign. While the current Monaco s...
Thiago Silva reveals ‘nice surprise’ from Frank Lampard after Chelsea move
Thiago Silva says a “nice surprise” from Frank Lampard immediately assured him he made the right choice when joining Chelsea over the summer. The Brazil defender moved to the Premier League shortly before his 36th birthday, bringing to an end his eight-year spell at Paris Saint-Germain. Silva says he had no doubts about his decision to head to Stamford Bridge, but appreciated a gesture he received from his new manager as he prepared for the move. What did Lampard send Thiago Silva? “As soon as I said yes, he sent me a picture of us both shaking hands as national team captains in 2013,” Silva told FourFourTwo. “It was a nice surprise. He understood exactly what I needed at this stage of my career, probably because he had made a similar move when he was also 36, from Chelsea to Manchester Ci...
Barcelona presidential candidate hits out at Paris Saint-Germain over Lionel Messi
Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta has hit out at Paris Saint-Germain amid their pursuit of superstar Lionel Messi. Messi has been strongly linked with a move away from Barcelona in the coming months, with his contract set to expire in the summer. His transfer request last summer is still fresh in the memory, and Barcelona’s financial situation makes a player of his fame more difficult to keep hold of. Messi could be on his way out of Barcelona soon PSG, along with Manchester City, have been the club most heavily linked with the six-time Ballon d’Or winner. Sporting director Leonardo Araujo recently confirmed that his side were keeping an eye on Messi’s situation, while unconfirmed reports that the player was learning French added fuel to the fire. Barcelona presidential candida...
Euro club offer World Cup winner as part of deal for 24-year-old Spurs man
Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain have reached an agreement over a loan deal for Dele Alli, but the move may not be completed. According to Le Parisien, the England international will join PSG until the end of the season if Spurs manage to sign a replacement before the January transfer window closes. Negotiations between the two clubs began last summer, but PSG have been unable to broker a deal with Spurs chairman Daniel Levy. His PSG counterpart, Leonardo, tried to include Idrissa Gueye and Julian Draxler in a swap deal, although a source close to the German player dismissed the suggestion that he would move this winter. SL View Although Alli has fallen down the pecking order at Spurs, manager Jose Mourinho has told the Telegraph that he does not expect him to join PSG. However, t...
Joan Laporta: PSG have been disrespectful in Leo Messi pursuit
Paris Saint-Germain have been “disrespectful” in their pursuit of Lionel Messi, according to Barcelona presidential candidate Joan Laporta, who has threatened to report the Ligue 1 champions to FIFA. PSG have been strongly linked with Messi ever since his decision to hand in a transfer request at Camp Nou at the end of the 2019-20 campaign. The 33-year-old ultimately decided to see out the final year of his current contract with Barca after opposition from club officials and La Liga, but his long-term future remains up in the air. Parc des Princes has been mooted as the most likely next destination for Messi, and PSG sporting director Leonardo publicly sounded out the six-time Ballon d’Or winner earlier this month. “Great players like Messi will always be on PSG’s list,” said the Brazilian...
Three potential replacements for Dele Alli at Tottenham Hotspur
According to French publication Le Parisien, Tottenham Hotspur will allow Dele Alli to join Paris Saint-Germain on loan for the rest of the season, provided they are able to land a replacement. Alli has struggled for regular playing time under manager Jose Mourinho this term and he has been restricted to only 472 minutes of first-team football across all competitions. Despite this, the 24-year-old continues to be valued highly by chairman Daniel Levy and the club have no plans of losing him on a permanent deal in the near future. Les Parisiens have reportedly agreed to sign Alli on loan without the option to buy, but Spurs need to find a replacement by Monday’s transfer deadline for the deal to go through. Below are three potential candidates, who could replace the England international at...
Thomas Tuchel appointed new Chelsea manager
Chelsea have confirmed the appointment of Thomas Tuchel as the club’s new manager. The Blues moved swiftly to bring in the German following the decision to sack Frank Lampard on Monday. The 47-year-old will be charged with the task of reviving the fortunes of a side sat in ninth in the Premier League table, with Champions League qualification the likely target for the remainder of the season. Tuchel, who was sacked as coach of Paris Saint-Germain in December, has signed an 18-month contract, with the option of a further year in west London. His predecessor, Lampard, had been handed a three-year contract when the Blues legend was appointed Chelsea boss in the summer of 2019 following a season in charge of Championship side Derby County. When will Tuchel take charge of his first game? Tuchel...
Report: Paris Saint-Germain eye Barcelona superstar to replace Kylian Mbappe
Paris Saint-Germain have shortlisted a sensational Barcelona forward to replace Kylian Mbappe. Todo Fichajes states that Antoine Griezmann has been identified as their key target. Mbapppe is under contract until 2022, but an exit could be on the cards this summer with the Frenchman is linked with Real Madrid. Los Blancos are eager on signing the mercurial forward and, with one year left on his contract, PSG may be forced to cash in. If the 22-year-old forward leaves, then manager Mauricio Pochettino will go all out for Griezmann. SPORTSLENS VIEW – WOULD GRIEZMANN BE AN IDEAL REPLACEMENT? Griezmann was once arguably amongst the top five best players in the world. The French forward has performed exceptionally well in all competitions including the Champions League, Euro 2016 and FIFA World ...
PSG defeat Marseille to win Trophée des Champions
Paris Saint-Germain won the Trophée des Champions last night defeating rivals Olympique Marseille 2-1 in an enthralling encounter at the Stade Bolleart Delelis in Lens. The victory last night was the first piece of silverware for Mauricio Pochettino, since taking over at PSG earlier this month. The Parisiens got off to the better start and took the lead when Argentine Mauro Icardi punished a mistake from experienced goalkeeper Steve Manadanda to give PSG the lead, and put them on their way to victory. PSG controlled the game from that point, and Brazilian superstar Neymar added the second from the penalty spot, on his return from injury to put the game beyond doubt for PSG. While Marseille did find a late consolation goal in the path of Dimitri Payet, it proved to be too little t...
Report: Real Madrid launch ‘Operation Mbappe’ by axing several star players
Real Madrid have once again set their sights on Kylian Mbappe. The French forward has been on the radar of Los Blancos for over three seasons. The Daily Mail reports that Madrid has now come up with a plan called ‘Operation Mbappe’. Florentino Perez is adamant on the signing of the Frenchman and has drawn up a masterplan. Los Blancos plan on generating a figure between 150-200 million Euros during the summer transfer market. The club has shortlisted six first-team players to be sold at the end of the season to garner funds. Luka Jovic, Dani Ceballos, Gareth Bale, Isco, Marcelo and Brahim Diaz have been added to the list. The funds generated through these player sales will be used to secure Mbappe’s services. Jovic is close to being loaned out to Eintracht Frankfurt for the rest of the seas...
Manchester City star linked with summer move to Paris Saint-Germain
Paris Saint-Germain have been tipped to make a move for Manchester City striker Sergio Aguero. According to football agent Bruno Satin, new PSG manager Mauricio Pochettino will make the Argentinian his main summer transfer target. In an interview with Canal+, Satin claimed that the former Tottenham Hotspur boss is keen to secure the services of Aguero. The forward’s current deal expires at the end of the season and City are yet to discuss an extension. The 32-year-old is currently free to agree pre-contract terms elsewhere, although it is understood that he would like to remain with the Premier League club. SL View – Sergio Aguero Aguero has achieved legendary status with City since joining from Atletico Madrid in 2011. He has scored 256 goals in 379 appearances to help the club win 10 maj...
Report: Everton willing to consider selling £31m player as talks continue with Euro club
According to reports from Sky Sports, French champions Paris Saint-Germain are in talks to sign Moise Kean from Everton on a permanent basis. Kean joined Everton for a fee in the region of £27m from Juventus in 2019. He struggled at Goodison Park, managing four goals in 37 appearances. He didn’t make a strong impact under Carlo Ancelotti and managed only 13 minutes of Everton’s Premier League campaign under the Italian. He secured a loan move to PSG in October. Permanent move? Kean is thriving at PSG where he is playing alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. He has scored nine goals in 16 games in all competitions for the French side, sending out strong messages to the Everton boss. PSG new boss, Mauricio Pochettino, wants Kean to sign permanently, and they have opened ne...
