Winner of the Coupe des Coupes in the spring of 1996, PSG could have had an even brighter workforce the following season. In an interview with Parisian, Luis Fernandez tells behind the scenes of the summer transfer window of 1995, during which he claims to have been very close to bringing in several big names.
“I could have recruited David Trezeguet, Roberto Carlos, Laurent Blanc and Samuel Eto’o in the team. I was in discussion with them. The four were about to sign,” swears the emblematic PSG coach. Only downside: the owner of the club did not have the same plans. “Canal + did not accept for budgetary reasons. The shareholder was not following me”, regrets Fernandez.
Trezeguet on trial then retested
Still in Cameroon, Samuel Eto’o (14 years old at the time) “wanted to come to PSG”, assures the former Parisian coach. After the refusal of Canal +, the striker joined Real Madrid in 1996. Future world champion with the Blues, David Trezeguet (17 years old at the time) came for 15 days on trial with the Parisian workforce, but the encrypted channel would also have challenged him, according to Fernandez. The future world champion (1998) then joined Monaco, where his career took off.
Roberto Carlos agreed
Of the four names mentioned by Fernandez, Roberto Carlos is perhaps the one that leaves him the most bitter. At 22, the left-back in mule strike was still playing in Brazil at the time. “He was unknown to the battalion, he played at Palmeiras. The club was ok for a pittance. I got him on the phone, he gave me his consent. Jean-Michel Moutier (the sports director, editor’s note) to me said: ‘We have better on our shelves for this position,’ “says Fernandez.
The Brazilian left-back signed for Inter and then for Real Madrid, a season later … without blaming Fernandez: “When I became coach of Bilbao, when receiving Real Madrid, Roberto Carlos came to kiss me . He knows that I was the first in Europe to have wanted it. “
Also retouched by Canal +, Laurent Blanc (29 years old in 1995) signed for Auxerre, where he relaunched his career towards a transfer to Barcelona a year later. “I wanted to bring my stone to the building but everything was refused to me,” concludes Fernandez, still bitter, twenty-five years later.
