In a single day, Nasser Al Khelaifi has conveyed his message about Paris Saint-Germain ‘s new project in three different media, all of them French: Le Parisien, L’Equipe and RMC Sport.
In all of them, it is clear that he is not entirely comfortable talking about Kylian Mbappe because his priority now is to put the club and the new project above any player. Al Khelaifi answers all the questions: he defends himself against the irregularities in the signing of Neymar, who according to Mediapart is said to have evaded taxes in the transfer, he talks about Luis Enrique as his star player, the key role of Luis Campos and the signings.
Neymar’s transfer remains controversial
When asked about the legal issues surrounding Neymar‘s move to Paris, Al-Khelaifi refused to tackle the issue.
“I have to stop you there, do you think PSG, with all the taxes we have paid, need to do this for Neymar? In France, there is no legal framework for the purchase of release clauses and when you want to buy one you have to go to the people in charge in France, the government. It’s normal. If you don’t ask for it, you are stupid,” Al-Khelaifi declared.
“There is no law, so I don’t understand why people make this up. Everything is legal, everything is transparent. We don’t need any help. Everything we have done has been legal. I can confirm that. We were not going to do anything illegal…. Sometimes there are things that are legal, but morally more questionable?
“We are the highest tax paying club, not just in Europe, but in the world. Do you really think we need to take the slightest risk for that? That would be really stupid. To go and do something illegal…”.
Praise for Luis Campos and possible signings in January
PSG aren’t going to be expansive in the winter market, with Al-Khelaifi trusting Luis Campos to work in a manner that is more careful than in recent years.
“We are very satisfied with the summer transfer market. Luis Campos has done a very good job. I think he is the best signing we have ever made.
“We already signed in the winter and we have played two games since then. But we are looking at all the possibilities. If you ask me if it’s all over, I say no. We are looking. We are looking. We are looking. But if you ask me if you are sure about signing someone, I also say no.
“We are studying all possibilities. We are looking at all possibilities. Before Milan Skriniar‘s injury, things were different. Before, maybe we were looking more for a midfielder, now maybe a defender. We are studying all the possibilities.”
Zaire Emery, the Gerrard of PSG
Hopes are high for Warren Zaire-Emery, and Al-Khelaifi believes his long-term future is at PSG.
“Warren has to become the Steven Gerrard of the club. He has to spend his whole life here. He comes from here, he loves the club. He’s here for the club. He’s a great kid. His upbringing, his family… I like him a lot. He’s an example for the youngsters. I’m confident he’ll renew.”
“Today, Paris Saint-Germain is more Parisian. We have changed a lot of things this year. The atmosphere is magnificent, the players fight together on the pitch for the shirt. I’m very proud of Luis Enrique‘s attacking style. It’s a pleasure to watch the team play. It’s a long-term commitment and even if we don’t qualify for the Champions League, I’m sure I’ll continue.
“We have something different with Luis Enrique, who for me is the best coach in the world at the moment. He also has the philosophy of taking charge of young players. He likes young players and he doesn’t like old players (laughs), retired players.
Farewell to the PSG of the Galacticos
This arrival of Luis Enrique has fundamentally changed the way in which PSG recruit, with his system not suiting star names.
“We don’t need more stars. We need players who respect the shirt, who respect the club and who give everything for the Paris Saint-Germain logo or shirt. What do we want? Nobody can guarantee the result,” he concluded.