Next season’s Paris Saint-Germain is expected to look a lot different than currently constructed.
The main cause for the turnover is the fact so many players are on expiring contracts and unlikely to be extended. Thiago Silva, Edinson Cavani, Layvin Kurzawa, and Thomas Meunier are just a few of the names expected to depart at the end of the season.
With Leonardo, PSG’s sporting director, busy scouring the transfer market to fill three specific positions (left-back, right-back, and a tall midfielder) this summer, several current players could be in danger of losing their starting jobs.
Juan Bernat
Juan Bernat has done absolutely nothing to warrant a demotion. He’s outperformed his contract when he arrived from FC Bayern Munich in 2018 and saved PSG from having to rely on Kurzawa too often. However, if Leonardo upgrades the left-back position by bringing in Alex Telles or Theo Hernández, Bernat would have to take a seat on the bench.
Idrissa Gueye
Idrissa Gueye had an inconsistent first season in the French capital after his arrival from Everton FC last summer. We saw flashes of brilliance, like the home match against Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League, but we also saw him too often give the ball away like in the away fixture against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League. If Leonardo finds a tall midfielder, like Sergej Milinković-Savić, I believe the Serbia international would replace Gueye in the starting lineup to pair with Marco Verratti and potentially Marquinhos.
Colin Dagba/Thilo Kehrer
Neither of these two players started with any consistency this season (injuries being the primary reason). With Meunier leaving the club in the offseason, the right-back position is up for grabs with both Colin Dagba and Thilo Kehrer in contention. If they want to see their name on the teamsheet regularly, both players will be hoping that Leonardo doesn’t sign a quality right-back. That doesn’t seem to be the case though. In recent weeks, PSG has been linked with FC Barcelona’s Nelson Semedo, Ajax’s Sergiño Dest, and AS Saint-Étienne’s Mathieu Debuchy.
While the move to the bench won’t thrill these players, it’s good for a club like PSG to have a deep squad full of quality to cover for injuries and fixture congestion that is always an issue every season.
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