PSG, the French club , decided to part ways with coach Christophe Galtier just days after winning the Ligue 1 title.
According to ESPN , sporting director Luis Campos directly informed Galtier of this decision on June 6th, and the club will announce the change of coach this week. The Parc des Princes owners made the decision to replace him less than three days after PSG's 2-3 defeat to Clermont in the final round of Ligue 1 on June 3rd.
Previously, Le Parisien published similar information, revealing that the Qatari owners considered Galtier's season unsuccessful. Under the French coach, PSG lost to Bayern in the Champions League round of 16 and were eliminated early in the French Cup round of 16. In Ligue 1, despite winning the title, the Parisian club performed inconsistently, losing seven matches and finishing only one point ahead of runners-up Lens.
Galtier touches the Ligue 1 championship trophy during PSG's coronation ceremony on June 5th. Photo: Alamy
Besides professional issues, Galtier also struggled to manage a dressing room filled with strong personalities. Rumors of rifts in the dressing room, along with questions surrounding the futures of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar, and Lionel Messi, affected PSG throughout the season.
Galtier was also embroiled in a racism controversy during his time managing Nice from 2021-2022. According to Romain Molina, a French sports investigative journalist, Nice's Sporting Director Julien Fournier, from August 2019 to June 2022, accused Galtier of complaining about the club having too many black and Muslim players.
Galtier's position has been under immense pressure since the defeat to Bayern in the Champions League. Last month, the 56-year-old coach insisted he deserved to continue leading PSG in the 2023-2024 season, when his contract expires. But he will only remain in his position until the end of this season.
According to ESPN , PSG have been in talks with former Spain and Barcelona coach Luis Enrique, but Julian Nagelsmann is the leading candidate to replace Galtier this summer. The Qatari owners believe the German coach can build a strong team, is ideal for ushering in a new chapter, and can utilize a talented generation of young players.
Alongside signing Nagelsmann, PSG are also considering appointing legend Thierry Henry to their coaching staff. The Qatari owners see the former French striker as the ideal assistant to Nagelsmann and value Henry's experience, having previously held a similar role under Roberto Martinez with the Belgian national team.
Former PSG player Thiago Motta, who made a name for himself leading Bologna to a ninth-place finish in Serie A this season, and former River Plate coach Marcelo Gallardo are other names highly regarded by PSG's leadership.
PSG have confirmed the departures of Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos on free transfers when the transfer window opens. The Parisian club is also ready to sell Neymar if they receive a suitable offer. Conversely, they are close to signing forward Marco Asensio on a free transfer and midfielder Manuel Ugarte from Sporting for a fee of around $65 million.
Hong Duy
Source link
Comment (0)