Paris Saint Germain have, as you will probably be aware, have recently been the subject of a takeover from Qatar Investment Authority who have purchased a 70% stake in the club. They have announced their plans to revolutionise football in the city of Paris and are boldly hoping to become the dominant force in French football inside the next few years. But is this a feasible target Les Parisians and could they aspire to even greater things in European competition?
Paris Saint Germain are the only team currently contesting the top flight of French football from the City of Paris and this alone shows the potential for a huge fan base, as well as the 50,000 capacity Parc des Princes regularly attracting over 45,000 spectators last season, despite the team falling way short in the title race.
Last season they still managed a respectable third but were still a long way off the quality of eventual champions Lille and runners up Marseille. They were also unlucky in their defence of the Coupe de France loosing out 1-0 to Lille. This again shows the potential of the current squad and with some quality signings over the summer break, they could be challenging on all domestic fronts next year.
And those signings have come, with the investors looking to put their money where their mouths are. Off the field they have prized coach Leonardo from Inter Milan who has taken up a sporting director role in Paris and their is even talk of former Chelsea and Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti replacing current manager Antoine Kombouare, which, given his previous successes and experience, would be a fine acquisition.
On the pitch they have also delivered. Coveted striker Kevin Gameiro- who scored 39 league goals in 2 seasons for Lorient- has signed for PSG, despite reported interest from clubs in England such as Tottenham and Arsenal. They have also picked up highly rated young goalkeeper Nicolas Douchez from Rennes and, their most high profile acquisition, Javier Pastore from Palermo. They paid big money for the tricky Argentine midfielder and held off interest from some of Europe’s biggest clubs for his signature which made his purchase a real statement of intent from the club.
Last years surprise double winners Lille have lost some key players in Gervinho and Yohann Cabaye, Lyon were woefully disappointing last year to make it three trophy-less seasons in a row, and Marseille finished 8 points off the pace. Therefore, there is an opening for another dominant force in French football and an opportunity for a team to take the league by storm as Lyon did, dominating from 2001-2008. Despite PSG’s disappointing start to this campaign the ‘Manchester City of France’ could be that force and could not only dominate the France league, but also become a major European force in the next 5-10 years.
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