If his arrival has not yet been formalized, Luis Campos should be the first recruit of the summer of Paris Saint-Germain. As the capital club goes separate at the same time from his sporting director Leonardothe Portuguese will land in the costume of sports adviser to embody the sporting turn desired by the Parisian management after the failure of the past season.
At 57, the former right-hand man of José Mourinho at Real Madrid (2012-2013) will have his third experience in Ligue 1 after his remarkable spells at AS Monaco and Lille where his methods at the head of the sports field have allowed the clubs to return to the top. In Paris, the management hopes that they will take the French champion club to a new level.
Prioritize profiles over names
As on the Rock or in the North, the former scout’s first mission will be to rebuild the capital club’s workforce. Its operation should cause a break with the previous recruitment policy, symbolized by the flashy transfer window of last summer during which Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos or Gianluigi Donnarumma arrived in Paris. Big hits that are more a matter of market opportunity than sporting consistency.
Change of tone expected this year. Campos should rather be inspired by his work done at AS Monaco where he had managed to attract many talents to be valued and at low cost: Bernardo Silva (Benfica), Fabinho (Rio Ave), Thomas Lemar (Caen) or Tiémoué Bakayoko (Rennes), major architects of the exceptional 2016-2017 season for the Monegasques who had won the Ligue 1 title and reached the semi-finals of the Champions League.
king of surplus value
So many elements from which the Portuguese leader had managed to derive strong capital gains on resale a few years after their arrival. A dimension on which the trading specialist should not be expected too much by signing in the club of the French capital and its disproportionate means.
In Paris, he will be faced with a different problem: finding a way out for the many undesirables who make up the workforce to make room for future recruits. A mission that clashed with the last sports directors of PSG, Patrick Kluivert, Antero Henrique and Leonardo.
READ ALSO. Mercato. Galtier, on track to replace Pochettino at PSG?
The files are numerous. Layvin Kurzawa, shelved throughout the season, had refused all offers during the last transfer windows. But also Mauro Icardi, Julian Draxler, Leandro Paredes, Idrissa Gueye, Abdou Diallo or even Georginio Wijnaldum. Campos will have to quickly demonstrate all its know-how in terms of sales to accelerate the renewal of the workforce. It would already be a small revolution in Paris.
–
