Leandro Paredes has become a vital piece for the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder under new manager Mauricio Pochettino. However, there were times that the 26-year-old struggled to find a place in the midfield. There were even talks about the capital club looking to move on from Paredes.
In an interview with Le Journal du Dimanche, Paredes discussed dealing with adversity. Some felt that the Argentina international would never live up to the €40-million price after the French giants purchased the midfielder from FC Zenit Saint Petersburg in 2019.
“Those who spoke of failure about my transfer have committed an injustice,” Paredes said. “Today, the new coach gives me a lot of confidence and freedom to play. With him, I play my game. Lately, I am comfortable, and I bring more.”
“The adaptation was not easy. From the outside, we cannot imagine the difficulty of integrating into a group already in place. People criticize without knowing. We tried a different approach on the way back, and everything did not go as we wanted. Sometimes you have to adapt and put your back. It’s a virtue to know how to suffer.”
Nonetheless, the coaching change benefitted Paredes, who has become a good running mate alongside Marco Verratti. Since Blaise Matuidi and Thiago Motta departures’, PSG has long searched for midfielders to compliment Verratti. Now it seems as though they found one in Paredes.
At the Camp Nou, Kylian Kylian Mbappé received the spotlight, but Paredes had an outstanding performance in the first-leg Round of 16 win. Paredes was involved in two of the four goals, where he provided a key pass and an assist.
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