PSG can now turn their attention to the current reconstruction job in the French capital, where significant adjustments are required to the faltering Qatari project, now that they have finished the task of retaining the Ligue 1 championship and accomplished the job of retaining the title.
PSG’s 11th domestic league victory – their ninth in the past 11 years – was achieved despite Christophe Galtier’s club losing six games in 2023, while Lens has got the majority of the credit for being the closest rival. PSG’s 11th domestic league victory was their ninth in the last 11 years.
Recently, the team captain Marquinhos claimed that even if it had not been the team’s finest season, it had nonetheless been a good one.
PSG were outstanding when the season first began, but that fact is mostly forgotten given their most recent elimination in the last 16 of the Champions League at the hands of Bayern Munich.
They went undefeated in the run-up to the World Cup, when players like Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar seemed energized by the thought of competing in the next event in Qatar.
However, what transpired after that was a dramatic turn of events, with Neymar once again being hampered by injury and Messi being punished for skipping training as a result of taking an unauthorized vacation to Saudi Arabia.
The atmosphere at the club has been gloomy in recent weeks, with supporters expressing their dissatisfaction.
“When we take stock, we need to analyze the first half of the season and what state the players were in when they came back from the World Cup,” Galtier said on Friday. “When we take stock, we need to analyze the first half of the season and what state the players were in.”
However, I can empathize with your sense of loss. It has been an exceptionally peculiar year.”
Galtier, who came at the club last year in the aftermath of Mbappe’s decision to shun Real Madrid and sign a new three-year deal, has had difficulty keeping up with the demands of the coaching position at times.
Mbappe, who has scored 40 goals so far this season, may be questioning whether or not he made the best decision, despite the fact that the topic of his future will undoubtedly be brought up once more in the near future.
Reports indicate that the 24-year-old player’s contract will expire the next year unless he chooses to activate an option that allows him to continue playing until 2025.
However, PSG now has to work toward rebuilding with Mbappe serving as the primary focus more than ever before.
Messi, who is getting up there in age and is out of contract, is likely going to go, and Neymar, who is now 31 and physically fragile, is losing his edge as a player.
Luis Campos, the Portuguese recruiting expert for Paris Saint-Germain, will be the center of attention when it comes to the transfer market.
He is constrained by the restrictions of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play as well as the reality that PSG has a variety of undesired players on large contracts who are scheduled to return after spending a season on loan.
The yearly savings on Messi’s wage, which are expected to be about 30 million euros ($32.5 million), would give some breathing room.
A lot of attention has been paid to the fact that they are ready to put more of their focus on younger players from the Paris region, which is a rich source of potential.
Kingsley Coman, Adrien Rabiot, Moussa Diaby, Christopher Nkunku, and Mike Maignan are just some of the promising young players that this club has let to depart in recent years, and the decision to do so has undoubtedly left a bitter taste in the club’s mouth.
Are we seeing the last of Galtier?
The Champions League is the ultimate prize, but Paris Saint-Germain has failed to go past the round of 16 in it five times in the past seven years, failing at the most vital moments on a consistent basis.
Galtier stated that while many teams have the desire to win it all, only one club has the ability to accomplish it.
“To win the Champions League, or even to give yourself a chance, you need to be on form in February and March, and we were not,” said the coach. “We did not.”
PSG have been in this position before, and Nasser al-Khelaifi, who has served as club president since the Qatari ownership of the club in 2011, cannot hardly afford to botch another reconstruction.
Concerns have been raised concerning the implications for Paris Saint-Germain as a result of Qatari businessman Sheikh Jassim bin Hamad Al Thani’s reported interest in purchasing Manchester United.
In the meanwhile, the owners of the club continue to be unsuccessful in their efforts to acquire the Parc des Princes from the city of Paris so that they might increase capacity. This has raised the likelihood that the team would move to the larger Stade de France.
All of this results in a degree of ambiguity over what lies ahead, but Galtier is at least aware that the most of his future will probably be spent abroad.
Galtier’s authority has been eroded during the season as a result of the ongoing investigation into claims that he made racist and discriminatory statements to players when he was in charge at Nice last season. Galtier strongly rejects the allegations.
The team needs a new coach who is capable of commanding the respect of the players, and names like Jose Mourinho and Luis Enrique have been mentioned in connection with the post.
Given that PSG has regressed during Messi’s two years there, it is unclear whether the most recent attempt to rebuild will be successful where previous ones have been unsuccessful.