Paris SG: Luis Campos arrives, Zidane's name comes back in force

Paris SG is under construction, from floor to ceiling: the Parisian club formalized the arrival of Portuguese Luis Campos on Friday, and several media claim that the arrival of Zinédine Zidane as coach is almost official.

No official announcement has been made to confirm the departure of sporting director Leonardo;

Mauricio Pochettino is still officially the coach of Paris SG.

But behind the scenes, the big maneuvers are well underway.

Friday, the hypothesis of the imminent arrival of Zinédine Zidane, 49, the child of Marseille, who won on the bench of Real Madrid four Champions Leagues (one as assistant, three as coach), resumed vigor.

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Very affirmative, Europe 1 evokes an "agreement in principle (...) for Zinédine Zidane to be the next coach".

According to RMC, the two parties "are close to an agreement" even if "discussions should continue for several more days before a final signature of the French coach".

Asked by AFP, Zidane's entourage did not respond.

Paris SG refused to confirm or deny the information.

A source close to the club's management, however, relativized to AFP that such an agreement was acquired.

Read alsoLigue 1: PSG formalizes the arrival of Luis Campos

Bursts and blows of blood

Aged 49, Zinédine Zidane left Real Madrid in 2021 and has since been free of any commitment, even if he is regularly presented as the natural successor to Didier Deschamps at the head of the France team if he decided. to leave after the World Cup.

Last season, Paris SG won the eighth French championship title in the Qatari era but again failed in its quest for the Champions League, the club's main objective, eliminated in the round of 16 by Real Madrid.

Designated "football adviser", the Portuguese Luis Campos will be the architect of the club's new project, built around Kylian Mbappé, who announced in May that he was staying at the club despite the assiduous courtship of Real Madrid.

The arrival of Campos, a close friend of the superstar striker he met in Monaco, promises a mixture of blows in the transfer window, as the Portuguese proved in Monaco and Lille, and bloodshed behind the scenes.

Aged 57, he is a strong character with recognized competence, who will have to reorganize the workforce and above all define a more coherent policy than Leonardo, dismissed on the evening of Mbappé's extension.

If Pochettino officially remains the coach of the Parisians, his departure seems logical.

Since his arrival as a replacement for Thomas Tuchel, the Argentinian has not convinced in a season and a half.

And his remaining year of contract should not represent a financial obstacle.

Zinédine Zidane, free, has the ideal pedigree to succeed him.

He was present in Paris, at the same time as the Emir of Qatar, on the occasion of the C1 final, which fueled all the speculation.

Read alsoTransfers: Muselier's heartbroken at the announcement of the imminence of Zidane's agreement with PSG

Galtier also cited

In addition to Zidane, other names are mentioned, in particular that of the coach of Nice, Christophe Galtier, who worked three years in Lille with Campos.

The Portuguese had greatly built the northern team crowned champion of France in 2021, a year after his departure.

After the coach, will come the time of the players.

The midfield is a weakness identified for several years at PSG, which cannot find a partner for Marco Verratti in midfield.

According to RMC, Paul Pogba, also coveted by Juventus, "awaits the formalization of Zidane's arrival at PSG to start discussions with the Parisian club".

With the departure of Angel Di Maria, Paris should also look for a winger.

The name of Ousmane Dembélé, free of any contract at the end of June in Barcelona, ​​often comes up in the press.

Campos will also have to slim down a bloated workforce – a point where Leonardo failed, despite poor financial results for PSG, which recorded 225 M EUR in losses for the 2020-2021 financial year.

In the hot seat, Mauro Icardi and Leandro Paredes have said they intend to stay in a club where salaries are high.

It will also be necessary to manage the egos.

“The best player in the world is Kylian Mbappé”, launched Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, seeming to demote Lionel Messi and Neymar in the hierarchy of the locker room.

Another subject: the clarification of the situation around goalkeepers Keylor Navas and Gianluigi Donnarumma, who want to stay while being N.1 next season – which would imply the departure of one of them.