PSG has gone through many transformations and the current one is already leading it up to top of club football. They already boast a squad that can rival almost any team in the world and while they are not dominating French football yet in the fashion they are expected to, they are the current league leaders.
Biggest spenders in the world
After Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) took charge of the French club in 2011, PSG became one of the richest clubs in the world, and they didn’t hesitate to show it. QIA bought the club in a deal worth 50 million euros and covered debts and losses from past seasons. In 2011/2012 season they splashed out 108 million euros and were the biggest spenders in the world. Last summer transfer window QIA improved their “splash the cash” method and paid unbelievable 147 million euros for new stars.
[youtube width=”720″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Qr1HN0ORt8[/youtube]
Where did most of this money go? Well the highest transfer fee was paid for Javier Pastore, Palermo’s then promising attacking midfielder that has gone on to become a pivotal player in Paris after his 43 million euros move.
Thiago Silva and Zlatan Ibrahimovic came to PSG from AC Milan after big offer from French side around 60 million euros for both experienced players. Ibrahimovic became one of the highest paid football players in the world. He signed three-year contract and will annual recive 14 million euros including bonuses.
Last newcomer from Italian financial crisis was Argentinean midfielder Ezequiel Lavezzi. He came from Napoli for a fee of 26 million euros.
Top class squad under a top class manager
Les Parisiens are managed by former Chelsea and Milan man Carlo Ancelotti who is handling a lot of top players. Ezequiel Lavezzi, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Thiago Silva and Thiago Motta are just the most famous players of the convincing squad. In addition they have some players touted to be future superstars, such as Lucas Moura, Marco Verratti, Mamadou Sakho and Alphonse Areola.
Overall it’s a squad that pales to comparison to no-one and quite rightly PSG made it to the knockout stages of Champions League. They will face Valencia in February for the first knockout round.
Meanwhile in the domestic competition they are topping the table, though only in even points with Lyon and Marseille – they’ve not been as dominant as expected. Zlatan Ibrahimovic has been firing, though – the big Swede has smashed incredible 18 goals in 16 matches in the league and is looking to break French top flight’s season goal-scoring record, which currently stands at 44 goals.
[youtube width=”720″]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HAryhs7iAuI[/youtube]
Massive team for the future
QIA became the majority shareholder of PSG in 2011 and are hungry for trophies. Last season their best success was second place finish with French record points for runners-up, 79.
This season looks set to change that. Winning Champions League might still be a bridge too far for them, but domestic trophy seems very likely, if they can perform as well on the pitch as the team looks on paper. That will be Ancelotti’s challenge to complete.
As for future, it looks unlikely that QIA are going anywhere so PSG will stay as a financial powerhouse and thus can keep attracting the best talent. I wouldn’t be surprise if they become a club like Real Madrid in the future, able to attain the best talent and compete regularly at the top level.