Every club has its fair share of major what-if transfer moves. These moves could have elevated a club and brought more success had they transpired. And for Paris Saint-Germain, the French side can count plenty of blockbuster moves that were close to being completed, but in the end, they simply fell apart.
For one, Luis Fernandez spent several seasons with the club over two different runs. But PSG could have garnered more success from the Fernandez era had it been able to sign Roberto Carlos. The Brazilian full-back not only went on to enjoy prominent success with the Brazil national team but also in club football with the likes of Inter Milan and Real Madrid.
In speaking to Le Parisien, Fernandez reflected on almost signing Carlos and just what got in the way of bringing the Brazilian to PSG.
“I could have recruited Roberto Carlos in the team,” Fernandez said. “Canal+ did not accept because of budgetary issues. The shareholder did not follow me.
“Roberto Carlos was unknown in the battalion, he was playing in Palmeiras. The club was OK for a pittance. I had him on the phone, he gave me his agreement. Jean-Michel Moutier [PSG’s former sporting director] told me ‘We have better things on our shelves for this position.’ He signed at Inter Milan and then at Real Madrid.”
Canal+ was PSG’s owner at the time, so it had to approve of such a deal. But this could have been a grand signing for the club considering how much of an impact Carlos had as an attacking full-back.
As mentioned, each team has plenty of what-if transfer moves and this almost signing is one for PSG.
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