It was a season to remember for PSG back in the 2023/24 campaign, as they clinched yet another Ligue 1 title, finishing nine points clear of second-placed AS Monaco. Kylian Mbappe was unsurprisingly the star for the French giants once again, as the forward finished with 44 goals and ten assists to his name from just 48 appearances, which is a hugely impressive tally.
Mbappe won six Ligue 1 titles, the Coupe de France cup on four occasions, and runner-up in the UEFA Champions League in the 2019/20 season, as PSG were narrowly beaten by Bayern Munich, who beat them 1-0 thanks to a goal from Mbappe’s fellow countryman Kingsley Coman.
Mbappe was linked with a move to Real Madrid throughout the 2023/24 league campaign, and the move was confirmed upon the conclusion of that season, as he completed a move to the Spanish giants on a free transfer. The forward is yet to find the back of the net in a LaLiga match for his new club, but you’d imagine it’ll only be a matter of time before he finds his feet in front of goal in new surroundings.
But what does Mbappe’s exit from the club mean for PSG moving forward? Despite not getting a fee for the forward, PSG certainly hasn’t been shy about adding to their squad in the summer transfer window, as they’ve spent over £150m in transfer fees for new additions to their squad.
They include the likes of Joao Neves from Benfica, Desire Doue from fellow French side, Stade Rennais, Willian Pacho from Eintracht Frankfurt, and Matvey Safonov from Russian side, FC Krasnodar. Doue is a left-winger and is the out-and-out replacement for Mbappe compared to the other positions in which PSG have strengthened this summer, but it remains to be seen as to whether the 19-year-old will force his way into the starting XI at this moment in time, as Luis Enrique has plenty of attacking options available to him, which is the ideal dilemma to have as a manager.
We’ve seen the attacking trio rotated in the first two league matches in Ligue 1 this season for PSG, with the likes of Bradley Barcola, Kang-in Lee, Marco Asensio, and Ousmane Dembele all starting matches this season for the league leaders, who thrashed Montpellier 6-0 on home soil recently. A 4-1 win over Le Havre caught the eye on the opening weekend of matches as well, and we’re already starting to see promising signs for PSG, as they adjust to life without Kylian Mbappe. Some might be fair in arguing the point that PSG are a better well-rounded unit as a team without the Real Madrid star.
Betting experts from BonusCodeBets have revealed that Asensio is priced at 14/1 to win the Golden Boot in Ligue 1 for the 2024/25 season, which could be a tempting bet if he features regularly for the league leaders.
Mbappe was heavily relied upon to provide the attacking threat for PSG over the years, but in matches where he was shut out of the game by multiple opposition defenders, PSG struggled to have much of a Plan B. However, with Mbappe now not on their books, they can rely on any of their attacking options to provide that attacking threat. We’re already seeing that in action as well, with Bradley Barcola, Kang-in Lee, and Marco Asensio all getting on the scoresheet in the win over Montpellier. With Enrique’s possession-based style of football as well, it’s a recipe for success, and with promising talents like Joao Neves, Warren Zaire-Emery, and Willian Pacho already featuring for the first-team squad, there’s a real sense of optimism at PSG right now, especially looking towards the future.
The feel-good factor is certainly around the Parc des Princes, and if they can continue to build on their strong start to this year’s league campaign, then it really wouldn’t come as much of a surprise to see them competing on all fronts this season.
