The running gag no longer makes many people laugh. We do, a little longer, but it’s probably because we don’t support PSG. The joke in question? To navigate the flood of rumors of this start of the transfer window on the Paris side, no need for concrete sources, triple confirmation or trying at all costs to find the new Paris United on Twitter, a single gesture is enough: open the Gestifute page on Transfermarkt. If the player is in, it’s very plausible; if not, the info is bogus.
Gestifute, it is the agency of Jorge Mendes, and a bit like the second home of Luis Campos, the sports adviser of PSG. The two men have known each other for more than 20 years and enjoy working together. The problem is that the Parisian club is becoming a branch of the Portuguese team. Mendes puts all his foals there, and not necessarily the thoroughbreds despite the sums requested. Vitinha at 42 million and Renato Sanches at 15 last summer, Ugarte at 60 this year, not counting the signing of Asensio at an indecent salary. Bellingham? Tonali? Gundogan? Barella? Ah good, they were on the market? Sorry, don’t know.
We would almost come to wonder if the goal of Luis Campos would not be to scuttle PSG for some obscure purpose. The Portuguese has been centralizing criticism since taking office a year ago, following Kylian Mbappé’s extension. The boss wanted it, and we figured it wasn’t a bad idea. Just think, the networks of the former talent scout from Monaco and Lille plus the means of PSG, it was going to be permanent fireworks on the transfer market, the assurance of not missing any future crack and influence to bring in experienced players.
” He is bad “
Missed. The first transfer window did not meet expectations, especially those of number 7 who was hoping for a surface scorer of the caliber of Robert Lewandowski to support him. He saw Hugo Ekitike arrive with an obligatory purchase option at 40 sticks, with the success that we know. Not as if he had Arnaud Kalimuendo on hand, either. In the middle, if it was to take Carlos Soler or Fabian Ruiz, you might as well keep Julian Draxler and Georginio Wijnaldum, it would have saved everyone time (and money). In short, all that to say that there are not many people to save the balance sheet of the Portuguese, who also failed to strengthen the workforce this winter for the final phase of the Champions League.
“He sucks, stings an agent who has been in the business for many years. Ugarte at that price, when we have Kephren Thuram or other top players in France? You have to explain to me. There are some really weird things going on, and you don’t have to be an agent for 20 years to realize that. »
According to him, the Portuguese only explores the avenues that suit him, and dismisses the others with polite indifference. “I can call 50 times for players, he won’t even look at them,” he says. Which was not the case with Antero Henrique. He’s a charmer, a seller, a buyer, but a guy who wants to know what’s going on in the market. We can discuss with him. Not with Luis Campos. »
The double cap with Celta challenges
Confirmed in his role at the start of this off-season, after intense lobbying work which did not please everyone internally, according The Team, it is however “expected at the turn” by Doha. The summer promises to be busy for Campos, especially as it has not not disengaged from its role of “external consultant” with the management of Celta Vigo. A double hat that calls out, especially when things are not going well on both sides.
Striker Iago Aspas, a historic figure for the Galatian club, had questioned the effectiveness of the leader’s work while Celta were playing their maintenance (finally acquired narrowly) on the last day of La Liga: “We lack quality, I already said it in August, I said it in January and it has not been corrected”, he had said To Report. No need for a drawing to know who he had in sight. “Being the sports director of a top club and being a consultant for another, I’ve never seen that except at PSG, was surprised Samir Nasri on the Canal + set in February. It does no better than its predecessors. »
Leonardo’s little sentence
“I thought that with him, PSG would succeed in building a real collective, a bit like Manchester City, which is not a team based only on stars. But the whole lacked consistency, this is where he failed in his bet, continues Hervé Marchal, an agent who knew Campos well in his Monegasque era (2013-2016). It is perhaps also due to the Parisian context, to the management of the Qatari leadership. »
We then come back to this confidence of an intermediary well established in the middle, who spoke with Leonardo a few weeks ago on the phone: “He said to me “with me it was difficult, without me it is impossible”. And I think he’s absolutely right. It’s an impossible position because everyone wants to decide everything at this club. »
Luis Campos, after admitting “not having been good” last summer, is not giving up when he is given a second chance – also because he surely represents PSG’s last hope of convincing Kylian Mbappé to extend his contract again. The vice-captain’s file is obviously central, because Campos’ mission will not be the same depending on whether he leaves this summer, for free next year or whether he decides (you never know with him) to stay. If there is one constant that never disappoints in Paris, it is the great permanent vagueness.