PSG CONFIRM CHRISTOPHE GALTIER AS NEW MANAGER
Paris Saint-Germain had a busy Tuesday morning as they announced that Mauricio Pochettino had left the club after 18 months and that he had been replaced by Christophe Galtier.
Marseille-born Galtier signed a two-year deal with PSG that will keep him at the club until the summer of 2024. Galtier has coached in France throughout all of his 13-year managerial career and has seen success with the likes of Saint- Etienne, Lille, and Nice.
In a statement released by the clubās website, Galtier said: āI am delighted to join Paris Saint-Germain. I would like to thank the chairman, Nasser Al-Khelaifi, Luis Campos, and the club for their confidence in me. I am fully aware of the responsibilities involved to coach this extraordinary team, which is one of the most competitive and spectacular squads in Europe. I am delighted to work with all of these talented players as well as the top-level staff here at the club.ā
āWe acknowledge everything that Paris Saint-Germain represents in French and international football. My focus is on ambition, hard work, and making the most of the teamās potential. I am delighted to become head coach of this team and to be on the bench at the magnificent Parc des Princes, a stadium that embodies a passion for football.ā
PSGās Chairman & CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi said: āWe are delighted to welcome Christophe to the Paris Saint Germain family. Christopheās track record is outstanding, and he has enjoyed success at every club he has managed. His many achievements are founded on an exceptional character that gets the best out of his players and his teams ā based on a collective spirit. We are proud to have a French coach and look forward to the next chapter of the clubās growth with Christophe.ā
In terms of meetings with his Argentine predecessor, Galtier beat Mauricio Pochettino in the league with both Lille and Nice. Galtier, 55, guided Lille to the Ligue Un title in 2020/21, beating out Pochettino whose side finished second, a point behind the champions. He guided Nice to a fifth-place finish last season and knocked out Pochettinoās Paris Saint-Germain in the Coupe de France on penalties.
Galtier said regarding Paris Saint-Germainās most prized acquisition, Neymar Jr: āI want Neymar to stay here with us. Heās a world-class player, all the managers in the world want top players like him. I have already clear ideas on my plan for Neymar here at PSG.ā
ā[Luis] Camposā presence was decisive,ā Galtier revealed during his conference with the press. āI accepted Paris Saint-Germain job with a lot of humility but with great determination.ā Campos and Galtier worked together at Lille in 2011. Campos was recruited by PSG on the 10th of last month as the clubās Football Advisor. A scouting maverick and a former sporting director at Monaco, Campos oversaw the transfers of talents like Radamel Falcao, Anthony Martial, James Rodriguez, and Bernardo Silva. His acquisition by PSG is reported to have played a major factor in Kylian Mbappeās re-signing with the French giants.
POCHETTINO LEAVES AFTER 18 MONTHS IN CHARGE
50-year-old Pochettino has left PSG after guiding the French giants to the Ligue Un title last season, winning it by 15 points, and winning one Coupe de France title and one Trophee des Champions in his time at the club.
PSG released a brief statement on their website confirming his departure: āParis Saint-Germain confirm that Mauricio Pochettino has ended his role at the club. The club would like to thank Mauricio Pochettino and his staff for their work and wishes them the best for the future.ā
Reports of the Argentinian leaving Paris St Germain this summer had been circulating in tabloids in the past month and a half and the news came as no surprise especially with the owners talking about going back to a Parisian style of management; meaning bringing in French coaching staff and bringing an end to the big-name signings that the club had grown famous for in the past five years. Pochettino now joins Laurent Blanc, Unai Emery, and Thomas Tuchel on the list of managers who have parted ways with PSG within the last decade.
The former Tottenham Hotspur and Southampton manager didnāt have much success in the Champions League as PSG bowed out in the round of 16 last season and in the semifinals the season before. The clubās Saudi-based owners have always been desperate to clinch the Champions League title, something that has eluded the club for the entirety of its 51-year existence, and the lack of progress in that regard made them rather impatient. Parisā exit from the competition last season put Pochettinoās job at the club under scrutiny as the team went out to eventual champions Real Madrid in the round of 16.
While PSG has made a name for itself all across the globe and in sports, its owners are well aware that they still need to solidify their imprint on the game with a Champions League trophy, something that the club has been in the hunt for since they acquired the club in 2011. The club has only won one major European trophy, the UEFA Cup Winnersā Cup, back in the 1995/96 season. That is not enough for one of the richest clubs in the world.
The pressure of being the manager of French footballās most successful club and working under owners desperate for European glory was too much for Pochettino to bear. While his managerial performance was lackluster and will always be compared to the success of his predecessors Unai Emery and Thomas Tuchel, who won the domestic quadruple and the domestic treble respectively during their time in the French capital, Pochettino will leave Paris with his head held high after proving that he can win trophies and having gained a unique experience in managing star players with big egos.
The Murphy-born manager took charge of Paris Saint-Germain for 84 games, won 56, drew 15, and lost 14, taking his win percentage to a respectable 65.5%. This is only the second time in history that the top two teams in a Ligue Un season (Paris and Marseille) changed their coaches in the off-season with the other such instance occurring in 1962/63 (Monaco and Reims). Second-place Marseille also parted ways with head coach Sampaoli by mutual consent only a few days ago.
Ā Ā Ā In terms of the future for Mauricio Pochettino, heāll be back in management at some point in the future. After all, heās managed some of the best clubs in Europe in the past decade and was always linked with the likes of Manchester United in the past 5 to 6 years before the club decided to go with Erik Ten Hag for their next manager. Itās not expected that his reputation will be damaged by his exit at Paris St Germain but the next few months will be pivotal in revealing what the former PSG player goes on to do next.
-Maher Abucheri
Twitter: @pabloikonyero