PSG: blues at the training center

Just over two weeks before the end of their internship contract, Tanguy Kouassi (18) and Adil Aouchiche (17) have not yet signed their first professional contract with their training club, PSG.

If the first prefers to stay in Paris, the fear of a departure of two new nuggets from the training center brings concern but especially frustration in the ranks of Parisian trainers.

"The disappointment is very strong when you take care of training a young person for several years, almost 24 hours a day, and he finally decides not to sign at the club at the end of his cycle, says an educator. Some agents thank us because their player benefits from the best French training before leaving to win more elsewhere. There is a feeling of waste. Hexagon clubs are not protected on the training of their young players. "

For several seasons, many "titis" have preferred to leave PSG rather than sign their first professional contract there. This is the case for example of Kingsley Coman (Bayern Munich), Claudio Gomes (Manchester City), Dan-Axel Zagadou (Dortmund), Boubakary Soumaré (Lille) or Moussa Dembelé (Lyon). "It's not easy for a youngster to make a hole in PSG, says the father of a player playing in U19. For the most talented, the question is simple: either you stay in Paris and you make a few entries with the pennant team or you go abroad where you will be a full-fledged holder like Moussa Diaby this season in Leverkusen. The other problem is that there is no reserve team or satellite to give playing time and the gap between U 19 and the flag team is huge. Finally, the regular change of direction among young people does not help either. "

"We would need a lot of Kimpembe"

Other players like international Jonathan Ikoné (4 capes) or Mike Maignan (9 convocations with the Blues) signed their first professional contract with PSG before quickly leaving the capital for a new challenge. Adrien Rabiot has stayed longer (7 years after his first contract) but he is now playing at Juventus.

Only world champion Presnel Kimpembe has managed to find a place among the starters. "There is a lot of impatience on the part of the player but also, often, of those around him," says an executive. Rather than succeeding right away, Presnel was patient in listening to the elders and progressed by training with champions. He is now a super ambassador for young people. He is always humble, positive and professional. It would take a lot of Kimpembe in the frame of mind and success. "

PSG, and in particular its sports director Leonardo, also considers itself weakened by the regulation which limits training allowances to a few tens of thousands of euros when a player spins to sign his first pro contract with a competitor. Likewise, French regulations limit the duration of the first contract to 3 seasons and any optional years that may be included can only be waived by the player.

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Despite the difficulties in keeping its nuggets, PSG cannot abandon its training as its reserve team (N 2) last year. In the list of 25 players participating in the Champions League which it sends to UEFA before the start of the competition, at least eight players must be trained in France, including four at the club. "It's not just PSG who have difficulty incorporating young people trained in the club into the first team," said a former Parisian trainer. I see very few kids under 21 in the contenders for the last four of the C1 ... There was the exception of Ajax last year, that's all. On a group of 25, if the PSG can have 4 or 5 elements of its training center, it is a winner. Not to mention the transfer, the lowest salary for a player that we will seek outside is at least 100,000 euros at PSG. A youngster will cost much less, so there will still be a financial gain. "