PSG chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi is a man used to getting what he wants. When he took over in Paris in 2011, he outlined his two main goals for the club: signing the ‘next Messi’ and challenging for the Champions League.
Success rarely happens overnight in football, but Al-Khelaifi is now more than halfway towards his dream. Not only do PSG have the best player in the world under 30 in Neymar, but also the best under-20 player in Kylian Mbappe. However, despite the side’s excellent young talent and domination in Ligue 1 this season, coach Unai Emery fell way short of competing for Europe’s biggest trophy, losing 5-2 to Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16.
With Neymar and Mbappe already in place, Al-Khelaifi needed one more major piece to turn PSG into genuine contenders: someone with the tactical nous of taking on and overcoming Real Madrid and Europe’s elite. Former Borussia Dortmund boss Thomas Tuchel is the man reportedly lined up to replace Emery at Parc des Princes, but given his history of conflict with players and staff at former clubs, is the master tactician the right man to handle the equally petulant Neymar?
