Nasser Al-Khelaïfi speaks up

With a new season on the horizon, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaïfi has chosen to outline Les Rouge et Bleu's newest project in three of Europe's biggest daily newspapers. After taking stock of the 2021-2022 season, Al-Khelaïfi promises change: "We're expecting all of the players to do a lot more than last season. A lot more! Evidently, we weren't good enough to go any further. For next season, the aim is clear: to give 200% every day.

"It's to give everything we have for the shirt and to do our best, and then we'll see what happens. We need to become humble again. We need to change things to avoid injuries, suspensions and errors that change the course of a match. Let's stop saying, 'We want to win this, that and the other,' and let's build something. We need to become disciplined, both on and off the pitch. Anyone who wants to stay in their comfort zone and doesn't want to fight will remain on the sidelines. We need to create a real team and get a real team spirit back. That will be the new manager's mission. We want players who are proud to represent Paris Saint-Germain and who are ready to fight every day."

The Paris president wants to see this commitment and determination in action at every level of the club, with one concrete objective: to give the project a distinctly Parisian feel. "We're here for a long time," the president explained. "We're going to have the best academy in the world. My aim for the next few seasons is to only have players from Paris in our team. There's so much talent in our region. The best players from our region deserve to play for Paris Saint-Germain. 11 years ago, I said that I wanted to develop the future Messi; now, I'm saying that I want to develop the future Mbappé, who will also come from Paris! It won't be easy, but we have everything to make it happen.

"It will take time, but it's an aim of ours," insisted Al-Khelaïfi. "We want players who love the club, who love to fight and who love to win, and we want that mentality to be spread across the whole club. We want to uncover new talent and new markets. As for the manager who will embody this project, we have a shortlist of coaches. We're in discussions with Nice; that's no secret. I hope that we reach an agreement soon, but I respect Nice and President Rivère. We're all defending our own interests."

To see this project through, the Paris Saint-Germain president will rely on a new football advisor in the form of Luís Campos. "Luís will focus on the first team. We need to explore new directions, and we need to find players who will be proud to come to Paris for the club, for the football and for nothing else." Al-Khelaïfi also took the opportunity to thank Leonardo: "He did an incredible job, and we wish him all the best. That's football... I know that a lot of clubs will be interested in him because he has a lot of experience."