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What PSG’s talks with Mikel Arteta could mean for the future
As fellow columnist Ben Jacobs recently reported, Mikel Arteta was recently approached by PSG’s Luis Campos, but it was probably a bit unrealistic of PSG to think that he was going to leave Arsenal given the stage that his Gunners project is at.
Still, I think one thing people forget about Arteta, who is more associated for his time in the Premier League with Everton and Arsenal, is that early on in his career he had a very successful loan spell with PSG before he joined Rangers. So there is a little bit of history there as an ex-player, similarly to Mauricio Pochettino.
PSG are now closing in on Luis Enrique, but it’s come after a difficult search for a new manager. It’s been difficult for them to find the right blend of experience, someone who puts a lot of emphasis on youth, and who would also be a good cultural fit at the club. Arteta is one of the few who ticks most of those boxes, but of course Enrique comes with more experience, having been a Champions League winner, having coached young players in the Spanish national team at major tournaments, and having also worked in the past with some difficult characters like Neymar.
So it’s no surprise really that they went for Enrique, but I think this approach for Arteta, while never a particularly realistic move now, does perhaps lay the ground for PSG to move for him in the future, because when you’ve played for PSG and end up being a high-profile manager, that counts for a lot in the club’s eyes.
Arteta’s connections with the club would give him more legitimacy as a candidate, as was the case with Pochettino, so I think he’s one they probably knew was unrealistic now but is also certainly one they’ll look at again in a few years’ time, depending on where Arteta is at that time – he might still be with Arsenal or he could also be with the Spanish national team or looking for another high-profile post.
Xavi Simons could be open to a return to PSG
My understanding, contrary to some reports, is that Xavi Simons has not yet entirely ruled out a move back to PSG. He’s waiting for PSG to outline what would be waiting for him if he were to come back.
Simons moved from PSG to PSV last summer and his reasons for leaving are quite well documented – he didn’t get the minutes he felt he deserved or that the club promised him. They had said that they were looking to develop more talent from the academy and use them in the first-team, and though he did get a few minutes here and there, it was nowhere near the level of some of the club’s other youngsters like Warren Zaire-Emery in the season just gone, for example.
PSG do have a buy-back clause for Simons, which is very low – just €6m, which is an absolute bargain when you consider how quickly he has developed at PSV in the last year or so. It’s no surprise to now see interest from Arsenal and other clubs in him, but it’s all a bit premature at the moment because his clause doesn’t become active until July and PSG also need to get Luis Enrique in place, while the club also have a few other signings lined up. So while this move can’t be ruled out, I wouldn’t expect this to become more formalised until maybe mid-July.
The other possibility as well is that, given what Simons is worth on the market now, there is some scope for PSG actioning his return, seeing if they can make it work, and if it doesn’t, then maybe move him on again in the next twelve months or so at a considerable profit on the €6m fee. The future could hold quite a lot of different scenarios at this moment in time, but to me it seems like a no-brainer for PSG to try to bring him back and make it work as part of a revamped, new-look line up under Enrique. What Simons has achieved in such a short space of time in the Netherlands is very impressive and it’s exactly the kind of development PSG should have been able to afford to him during his time in Paris.
It seems clear to me that Simons has a profile that would be very useful for this PSG team. It all depends exactly on Enrique plans to do, but also on whether Kylian Mbappe is still there or not, but the one thing that seems inevitable is that one of those three star names from last season – Mbappe, Messi and Neymar – will still be there, so with Messi already gone I cannot see PSG allowing both Mbappe and Neymar to leave this summer as well. One or both will surely still be in the PSG team next season, so if Enrique is building around them, it might be harder for Simons to make his mark, but I do still think there’s room for someone of his talent and versatility.
It would be a blow if Simons didn’t show faith in this new direction PSG are trying to move towards, but equally it wouldn’t be too surprising either given the promises that he feels were made to him and then broken by the club. When he’s spoken publicly about PSG, he’s always spoken very highly of the club and of his time living in the city, so I think that door is slightly ajar for him. It’s now just up to PSG to really convince him, and that can only be done when Enrique is in place and the new project starts to take place.
PSG reach Lucas Hernandez agreement, but is the move a risky one?
Another interesting move that seems to be on the cards for PSG is Lucas Hernandez. The French full-back is on his way back from a bad injury, and had been considered an indispensable player at Bayern Munich, although that now seems to have changed.
There is an agreement in place, with PSG and Bayern now working to finalise the details of that. That’s something that I’d expect could get done within the next week or so. It’s probably going to be in the region of €35-40m, but the structure of the fee will be important to Bayern as they look to cash in on the player.
One thing to bear in mind – although Hernandez is a France international, he actually comes from Marseille, and so that’s quite risky to a certain extent given the fierce rivalry between Marseille and PSG. But, equally, he’s someone who’s never played domestically in Ligue 1 – he was born in Marseille but moved at a young age and grew up in Spain, so it’ll be intriguing to see how the signing goes down.
Tactically, it looks a good fit for PSG playing a 3-4-3 formation as the norm moving forward, especially when you bear in mind PSG have also got Milan Skriniar coming in, Marquinhos has signed a new contract, and there’s Presnel Kimpembe to come back from injury as well, so a lot of defensive options for Enrique in the season ahead.
Achraf Hakimi could be an option for Manchester City
Achraf Hakimi is a name coming up again, this time being linked with Manchester City. As I said recently, he’s not someone PSG are actively looking to sell, but there could be the potential for a deal to be done at the right price. My understanding is that this position is unchanged, and that they could be willing to cash in on Hakimi if it would help them to land on of their other major targets. They’re not too light of other options for that role with Nordi Mukiele and Warren Zaire-Emery able to fill in there as well.
In terms of how he might fit in at Man City, there’s an obvious role for him in that team if Kyle Walker ends up leaving, but I’m not totally convinced he has the defensive discipline that Pep Guardiola might want from him. He might have to undergo quite a bit of work on that side of his game if he were to join City, but equally it’s not surprising that they like someone of his profile and playing style.
Still, whatever happens with him this summer there’s no doubt he’s stagnated a bit at PSG and so it will be interesting to see if there’s a chance for him to revive his career under Luis Enrique. He’s had a difficult last year or so, both on and off the pitch, with the allegations being made against him still needing to be taken into consideration by any club potentially making a move for him.
Hakimi needs to be fully focused on his game in order to be at his best, so a fresh start under a new coach at PSG could be a good way for him to still have an important role to play at the Parc des Princes, especially while Kylian Mbappe is still at the club – they have a very good relationship, despite the players’ mothers taking pot shots at each other in the media recently!
I can see the logic in City looking at him, but I could also see a move back to Spain being good for him, perhaps even back to his former club Real Madrid, assuming he does move on from PSG at some point in the future.
How likely is a Liverpool move for Jeremy Doku?
We’re seeing stories again of Jeremy Doku being a target for Liverpool, this time from L’Equipe, who tend to be a very reliable source. From my understanding, Doku is a player who’s been on their radar and on the radar of numerous other top clubs for years and years now.
There have been moments when he’s looked on the verge of tapping into that enormous potential that I think everyone knows he has, and that explosive pace is very eye-catching – that’s what a lot of people like about him, but there’s more to his game than that and I think he’s starting to show that side of himself as well.
My personal opinion, however, is that he’s probably not quite ready to jump straight up to a club like Liverpool at this moment in time. Having said that, where Liverpool are right now after a difficult season of missing out on the top four meaning they’re not going to be in the Champions League next season, and they’re not necessarily seen as one of the main challengers for the Premier League title, it could make it more of an interesting prospect. Jurgen Klopp is likely in something of a rebuilding process now, and so that could open the door to a different profile of signing.
Whether that means a move for Doku, I’m not sure, but it’s easy to see why he might see playing under Klopp as good for his development, so maybe he will become more of a player of interest as the summer goes on. Still, the noise from France right now is that their focus at the moment is on signing Khephren Thuram from Nice, so we’ll see what happens there, but I think Doku could be one that a lot of clubs will look at in the next few weeks, but whether they firm up their interest or just see him as more of a Plan B remains to be seen.
The challenge awaiting Marcelino at Marseille
Marcelino has now been officially named Marseille manager, replacing Igor Tudor. It’s an interesting move and it’s taken some time for Marseille to settle on their first choice to be their next manager, but I think it’s important for them to finally have that clarity.
Overall, however, given some of the names that were linked with the OM job, such as Marcelo Gallardo, it’s maybe ended up being a little underwhelming, though I still think it’ll be good for them to have that clarity now as they move towards next season.
It’s also important for Marseille to have someone like Marcelino, who’s experienced in working in conditions where he’s a bit limited financially. That’s very much the case at Marseille where there will inevitably be issues with funding, and that’s maybe something that a few of the names before him have eventually realised and moved on, such as Andre Villas-Boas, Jorge Sampaoli and Igor Tudor.
A lot of Marcelino’s players speak very highly of him, he’s highly rated in Spain and I think it could end up being quite an underrated appointment. He seems like he’s the kind of character as well who could really relish the kind of passion of the Marseille fans and the atmosphere the home crowd can drum up on a big matchday.
Still, there’s a lot of work ahead to make Marseille a really credible title contender against PSG. There is a lot of competition to get into the Champions League places as well, especially after Lens snuck ahead of them last season.
Marcelino might not be the manager some of their fans were dreaming of, but it’s simply the case that until something changes in terms of the investment going into the club, these are the kinds of managers who are going to come and go as the years go by, because they don’t really have the means at their disposal to make Marseille into a more credible Ligue 1 or Coupe de France contender, or put together a stronger run in the Champions League.