After another season without a European title, Luís Campos took over the helm at Paris St. Germain in the summer. The 58-year-old Portuguese didn’t need to be asked twice either and turned PSG’s squad upside down. Newcomers for around 150 million euros were signed – including four midfielders alone – he took 50 million in return.
Still, Campos isn’t happy with the Parisians’ transfer activity, as he reveals on ‘RMC’ podcast ‘Rothen s’enflamme’: “I’m not 100 percent happy. We’ve reached the end of the transfer market without finding the perfect balance. Of course we have enormous quality in the squad, but we haven’t achieved perfection. It’s always difficult, of course, but we work to get as close to perfection as we possibly can.”
The shoe pinches, especially in central defense. The desired commitment of Milan Skriniar (27) from Inter Milan fell through on Deadline Day. “I won’t talk about names, but we didn’t just talk to Skriniar”comments Campos, “In the end we didn’t get the player we wanted.” Well advised PSG “in trouble if we try to play with a back three.”
Neymar farewell not an issue
As is well known, the offensive stars of Paris Lionel Messi (35), Kylian Mbappé (23) and Neymar (30) do little defensive work. The latter is currently in top form but was repeatedly linked with a departure over the summer. According to Campos, that was never an issue: “Neymar was never about to leave, that’s completely wrong. He always comes to training on time and has never missed a session. Neymar is fully involved.”
Just like Lionel Messi, whose contract expires at the end of the season. The superstar doesn’t want to decide about his future until after the upcoming World Cup, but Campos has one clear wish: “I asked Messi if he wanted to stay and I told him that I hope he stays as long as I’m here.” The sporting director is still tied to PSG until 2025 – so he still has five transfer windows to achieve the desired perfection.
