Leonardo dismissed as sporting director

The new PSG is starting to set itself up and, in a particularly symbolic first step, the club’s sporting director had to pack his bags. Leonardo was indeed relieved of his duties on Saturday after the last match of the season, according to a source familiar with the file confirming information from several media.

The dismissal of the 52-year-old Brazilian leader, in office since 2019, comes a few hours after the extension until 2025 of Kylian Mbappé’s contract, announced before the victory in the evening against Metz (5-0). No sooner had the tenth national title celebrations ended than broadcaster Prime Video, RMC, France Blue Paris, The Parisian and The Team relayed the decision of PSG to separate from one of its key men.

The club chaired by Nasser Al-Khelaïfi, reinvigorated by the medium-term commitment of its star striker, has launched major maneuvers to breathe new life into its sporting project.

Pochettino in the hot seat

This was the second stint as sports director of “Leo”, who also held these positions between 2011 and 2013. The Brazilian was also a player at PSG, from 1996 to 1997. His name had been in the hot seat for several weeks, like that of coach Mauricio Pochettino, who may have to leave soon, despite his current contract until 2023.

Leonardo was notably instrumental in bringing in superstar Lionel Messi last summer. But his aura suffered from the disappointing season of the Parisians, eliminated from the Champions League in the round of 16, after a new “comeback”, against Real Madrid (1-0, 1-3). The Portuguese Luis Campos, who notably passed through Lille and Monaco, where he rubbed shoulders with Mbappé, could take over as sports director, according to several media.

source site