Paris Saint-Germain owners Qatar Sports Investment are growing their football portfolio after acquiring a 21.67 percent stake in Portuguese side SC Braga.
CBS Sports and PSG Talk columnist Jonathan Johnson noted in his recent column that following the model laid out by Manchester City ownership City Football Group is the best route for QSI.
“Given Qatar Sports Investments’ recently acquired 21.67 percent stake in SC Braga in Portugal and potential Qatari involvement in a proposed takeover of [Manchester] United, things could be about to change,” Johnson wrote. “It appears that QSI are finally starting to recognize that following the CFG and Red Bull blueprint, notably City, given that Leipzig still sells their best players, might be the best path to success …
“The Emirati-owned club are not universally liked and never will be, but they are more dominant in English soccer than PSG have been in France of late, and Champions League success could follow. For the Ligue 1 powerhouse to remain on a similar level to City, QSI needs to set out a clear and defined strategy for the future and start working towards it.”
While Manchester City splashes the cash on Erling Haaland, they also use the clubs to stash young players and allow them to develop to see if they can become a gem for the Premier League side.
One example of this practice is Kayky, who Manchester City purchased in 2021 from Fluminense, and now plays for Bahia, which CFG owns, so that the 19-year-old can develop. If the Brazilian youngster shows promise, expect him to be part of the City squad soon enough.
PSG can splash the cash but purchase stakes in other clubs to grab young talent and have them develop so they do not have to pay an outrageous fee, considering the talent in their youth system.
