Luis Enrique has been on the sidelines at Paris Saint-Germain since 2023. So far, the Spaniard has played 53 games for the French champions. This means he has already played more games than his predecessor Christophe Galtier, who had to leave after one year in the capital. If the club’s management has its way, however, Enrique should play as many more games as possible.
As journalist and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano writes in a post on X reported that the French champions are currently preparing a new contract offer for Enrique. Despite the disappointing elimination in the semi-finals of the Champions League against Borussia Dortmund, the club management is extremely satisfied with the work of the 54-year-old. Therefore, the contract, which expires next summer, should be extended as soon as possible.
After being taken over by Qatari owner Ghanim Al-Khelaifi in 2011, the club initially tried for many years to achieve success with big names and expensive transfers – with moderate success. Although winning the French championship has been almost a given for many years, the longed-for triumph in the Champions League has so far failed to materialize. Thomas Tuchel got the furthest. In the 2019/20 season, the German made it to the final with PSG – but had to admit defeat to FC Bayern.
After the failure of this strategy, a change in direction in the top club’s transfer strategy has been evident in recent years. Big names such as Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe have been sold, and instead the club is increasingly relying on young players such as Warren Zaïre-Emery, Bradley Barcola and Désiré Doué. The really big stars are no longer to be found in the French squad. This does not mean that transfer spending has fallen significantly – this summer net spending was again almost 100 million euros – but it is clearly intended to burn less money on old stars.
It seems as though the club is trying to build a long-term project rather than relying on short-term success. With an average age of 23.3 years, Paris now has the second youngest squad in Ligue 1. As Romano further reports, Enrique is seen as an important part of this project.
And not without reason. Enrique had already shown in the Spanish national team that he had a lot of faith in young players and was not afraid to give young talents a chance. No fewer than 28 players made their debut in the three years he was in charge. Many of them won the European Championship this summer. A success that is also thanks to Enrique.
Read more PSG news:
