The future of Mbappé, the Icardi scandal and locker room discipline: the secrets revealed by PSG’s sporting director

There is currently no football club in the world that has the level of media coverage that the Paris Saint Germainwhich had been one of the most powerful teams on the planet for several years, but added greater impact with the arrival of Lionel Messi. All eyes are on him PSG and there are several topics that have their fans in suspense, so the words of Leonardo Araújoits sports director, have not gone unnoticed.

In an extensive interview with the daily The Teamthe former Brazilian soccer player and current director of the Parisian team spoke about various issues to be resolved, including the future of Kylian Mbappé: He denied having proposed a contract of 50 million euros net per season and assured his renewal will not depend on money.

“No concrete offer has been made. There is an important element: I think the last thing we will put into this contract will be money. We want to put him in the best conditions so that he becomes the best possible player. Kylian is so valuable I think he’s at peace with it. It is secondary. I think that to put the amount, it will take two minutes at the end, ”he assured. Leonardo.

His words about the future of Kylian Mbappéwhose contract ends next June 30thbring a little peace of mind to fans of the PSGwho fears losing his star because he refused to renew their bond and has at Real Madrid following his footsteps. As he commented Leonardonow French players do not need to go abroad and Mbappe you could find everything you need in Paris.

“It is a matter of feeling. The French player, when he starts, has the goal of playing abroad. It is no coincidence that in the 1998 world champion team there is a majority of players who play abroad. In 2018, Kylian was the only one of the eleven who played in Ligue 1. Pogba and Griezmann never played in Ligue 1, Zidane made his career more abroad than in France. But at that time there was no club the size of PSG. We are not sellers, that changes the spirit. Now I think Kylian has thought things through. The feeling we had on Saturday in the stadium was magnificent. Something is being created, not just for him. I’m not here to be corny, but other clubs don’t have ultras like that. It can be a big problem”, argued the sports director.

What’s more, Leonardo pointed out that his job is to make others feel important. Mbappe in a club where they are Messi and Neymarbut he valued that the relationship between them flows naturally: “When you get to a team with perhaps the best player in history (Messi), Neymar and him, you can say: who is the first, the second, etc.? But there is a harmony, a respect between them and that is also built. Kylian is the best player in the world right now. Messi has always been at this level, and for me he is still at this level, but it is normal for people to arrive who, little by little, change things… It is not about judging who is better. There is one who is 23 years old, the other 34″.

Everything indicates that the PSG is going to bid until the end to retain the young French attacker. Leonardo explained that they are going to fight until the last instance so that Mbappe follow in the Princes Park. “As long as there is no signature, we are going to try everything to keep it. I don’t think he’s going to decide on the knockout (Champions) against Madrid. We have a generation that arrives, young people in the training center, ambition to make other investments. What Qatar has done in 10 years is put PSG among the greats. The club is loved, admired, respected”, he pointed out.

OTHER OUTSTANDING PHRASES BY LEONARDO IN L’EQUIPE:

• The personal problems of Mauro Icardi: “There was a problem that we can all identify with. He was in no condition to play. He had three days off and on the fourth day he was training. We managed this crisis and all members of his family respected the instructions. You can see that there are no longer any delays in training, that everyone works hard and that we have a team that wants to win. I go back to Neymar. Do you know what happened to him? He is serious. His ankle bone was affected with a vascularization problem. Being back where he is today is proof that he is involved. When I had problems with him, I told him so. But when things are done well, you also have to say it. You can’t put a label for life. When he is on the field, you tell yourself every time that he can pass something. The same happens with Messi. He is a genius. He makes others grow. Talking about Messi is talking about football”.

• The “lack of discipline” at PSG that Ibrahimovic spoke of: “I don’t even want to answer. Where is the indiscipline? I think there’s a reason why, every time a player leaves PSG, he can’t stop talking about us. Everybody wants to come. Zlatan has tried several times to return. I am still waiting for his interview to thank PSG for everything they have done for him. PSG existed before and after him. But tell me, where is the indiscipline?

• If Neymar goes out partying before the games: “Do you think a player who stays at the top for twelve years really does something on the sidelines? There are social networks, but that conveys a feeling that does not reflect reality.

• Pochettino’s continuity: “Today he has one year left on his contract (June 2023). Honestly, we never thought about changing coaches. Really. We never contacted Zidane or anyone else. Before coming here, Pochettino was in the top five coaches and he still is. You can see the progression, although a lot has happened. I always see him more involved because, over time, you get to know the context better. I think Pochettino may have had moments of doubt, but he never asked to leave. He may have had difficult periods, in February or March he had COVID-19. Then, during the summer, there were rumors of his departure. He says that no club asked him and that no one called us. I have no problem with Pochettino. We are very clear, we talk about everything”.

• The dismissal of Tuchel and the changes of DT: “It cannot be said that if Tuchel had stayed he would have won the Champions League here. It is a matter of context, of the intertwining of many elements. It was a moment (Christmas 2020) in which we perhaps did not see a future with him. The question was whether to go ahead with the contract without any certainty or whether to stop beforehand. That is the choice we made. Some Champions League-winning clubs have had more than 10 coaches in the last 10 years. PSG have used five (Ancelotti, Blanc, Emery, Tuchel, Pochettino). The only ones that have had fewer managers than us are Atlético, Liverpool and Manchester City. Five coaches in 10 years is a two-year cycle, nothing extraordinary. It is so intense, so demanding, that it is true that defeats leave their mark”.

• The goal of winning the Champions League: “When we started the project, in 2011, fourteen years after playing my last game here, I came back because we wanted to build a great club. Not only to win the Champions. It is completely different. Because a great club, when it wins, is good, but the year it loses, it knows how to remain competitive. Today, this is our case. We don’t play Russian roulette every year. The goal of winning it is there. We have never hidden it. But, in eleven years, we have built something solid. It is very difficult to be so constant.”

• If putting Neymar, Messi and Mbappé creates an imbalance: “Neymar also defends himself. After all, he is a striker, let’s not forget… However, football has changed. The goalkeeper doesn’t play with his foot…he’s not good. The defender who doesn’t clear is ridiculous. The striker who does not press is not good. He is incredible! For me, as soon as we have the ball, if we do damage, that’s the main thing”.

• The signing of Sergio Ramos: “We signed him, he was fine physically. Until today he has played five games. Unfortunately, it did not happen as we thought. It’s hard for him, for everyone. But our reports are clear. The day we say he can’t play anymore, it will be clear to everyone. It is not the case. Then not playing makes it hard for him to be a leader. We will wait before drawing conclusions, the season is not over. But I’m not afraid to own up to mistakes when I make them. Nasser gives me complete confidence, allows me true autonomy, and for that I thank him. Working with this spirit really makes you want to. That is important. That’s why I also say that PSG is a great club.”

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