Find a titular right-back at a lower cost?
After the departure of Thomas Meunier (Dortmund), it was one of Leonardo's priority missions during the offseason.
But with limited resources, there is no question of tracking a player like Achraf Hakimi, who left Real Madrid for Inter Milan against € 40 million, or of targeting a player like Benjamin Pavard.
The Parisian sports director therefore focused on his favorite hunting ground, Italy.
And he had a hollow nose in attracting Alessandro Florenzi from AS Roma.
“It was a great opportunity.
I had not even thought about it, in the sense that I did not see Roma let go, believes Grégory Paisley, consultant for
beIN SPORTS
, broadcaster of Serie A in France.
The laterals, there is not a plethora of them in Europe.
It's a great shot.
At that price, you have to go with your eyes closed. ”
In this case, Leonardo poached him as part of a paying loan (1 M €?) With option to buy (9 M €?).
Defender on the pitch, striker at heart
And for this price, it is an Italian international (38 caps, 2 goals) of 29 years who landed on the banks of the Seine, an experienced player (46 European matches and 227 Serie A matches), a leader .
“He played in Italy.
Obviously, tactically, he is already established, quickly guessed Presnel Kimpembe.
It will also bring us its quality.
We all know his profile, the player he is. "
In this case, he is a player who likes to "move forward", as the main interested party recently explained at a press conference.
"The coach wanted an aggressive side and I think I can fill this role," he added.
Well seen.
“Five to six years ago, he was playing right midfielder.
Naturally, he is carried on the offensive, analyzes Paisley.
Now that he's gone down a notch, when he's in a team that has the ball, he has the perfect profile. "
"
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Like his Belgian predecessor, Florenzi also knows how to be decisive in front of goal.
Already two "pawns" for the Italian at PSG, in seven matches.
Tuchel was also clear from the outset, intending to rely on "his offensive force" to compensate for the departure of Meunier.
I really hope that we will see AS Roma's Florenzi, a very reliable player, a great player from a great team.
He was one of the best players in this position for a long time in Serie A. I had been following him for a few years.
I like his mentality and his energy. ”
Since then, everything has been going well, and the German coach made a first assessment Tuesday, before facing Leipzig, this Wednesday (9 pm), during the third day of the Champions League: “He has integrated very well.
It was very quick, very easy.
He speaks Italian, he can understand Spanish and French, he is sociable.
It was all the easier since he has the quality on the ground, he is very dangerous offensively. "
Marco Verratti, who has known him since the youth teams and who “helped him a lot” in Paris, says this about him: “He is intelligent, kind, generous.
I think it's a very good recruitment for Paris and we saw it straight away. ”
"He has an intelligence of play, he feels the blows very well, he always rides wisely ... He stinks of football!"
Grégory Paisley, beIN SPORTS consultant
But there is, however, a "but".
Florenzi is the kind of defender who is more comfortable when his team has the ball.
“In the one against a defensive, he has shortcomings, analyzes the former Parisian Paisley.
It lacks explosiveness, pure speed.
When things go too fast in the face, he is in trouble.
Often it doesn't show, because he's so tactically smart that he compensates.
He is intelligent in the game, he feels the blows very well, he always rides wisely ... He stinks of football!
But if PSG are dominated, you feel that they can be in trouble.
Today, all the full-backs are in this case, the full-backs at ease in the one against one, there are not many ... "He still suffered greatly in C1, against Manchester United and Istanbul, with very few duels won (1/8 and 2/5).
Mitigating circumstance: the native of Rome was boiled in Turkey.
Moreover, he did not play Saturday in Nantes (3-0).
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The physique, it is also perhaps the other weak point of Florenzi, victim of two ruptures of the cruciate ligament in quick succession in 2016 and 2017. In any case, a question mark.
"I think he's come back to his level," Paisley said.
Maybe he's lost some explosiveness.
But in the game, you feel at ease.
In his sequences, when he takes a support, his quality of centers ... There is nothing that shocks me. "
And the former defender to add: "PSG may not use it enough yet, not yet well enough.
I sometimes see him not being served when he makes sharp calls.
When you know his quality of center and his ability to be decisive in the last gesture, we say to ourselves that it's a shame.
But he has just arrived ... "In summary, Alessandro Florenzi, it is a" very good pick ", swears Greg Paisley.
Charge to the person concerned to make himself as essential in C1 as Juan Bernat did.
And at that point, the Paris of "Leo" will be the winner.
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