THOMAS Tuchel has probably had enough of repeating the same thing over and over again.
The Paris Saint-Germain manager has been saying since the summer that he needs at least one new defensive midfielder in his squad to properly compete with the other top European clubs this season. “It was very important for me to sign a number 6 in the summer. It’s winter now, but the same thing applies” he told journalists in December.
Nasser Al Khelaifi, the chairman, Antero Henrique, the sporting director and Tuchel himself tried hard last summer but could not get any holding midfielder over the line. The needs is even more important now.
[@gerardromero] | As French media announced days ago, we can confirm that Frenkie De Jong is going to PSG
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Ajax and PSG are outlining details of the transfer that will be finalized soon pic.twitter.com/FDZtXF38YL
— BarçaTimes (@BarcaTimes) January 16, 2019
The team has done well in the first half of the season, topping a really tough Champions League group, leading Ligue 1 comfortably too. Yet, the first six months of the season have showed how much the Parisians need a number 6.
They started the season with only Lassana Diarra as a natural holding midfielder but, at 33, he was never part of Tuchel’s plans. Marco Verratti and Adrien Rabiot are not pure defensive players and Thiago Motta retired last summer too. Marquinhos became the best option.
The Brazilian moved up from defence to midfield. He tried his best, improved and had some great performances but also some tougher ones. However, he is not a long-term solution. To go higher, Paris need a better defensive midfielder. Fabinho and N'golo Kanté were two targets last summer but neither of them is available anymore. Allan would be the perfect choice but he is expensive.
Allan might be the most underrated player in Serie A. Latest for @unibet on the #Napoli midfielder wanted by #MCFC, #THFC & #PSG https://t.co/K93GOQh5tD pic.twitter.com/IZRfN2XNgg
— Adam Digby (@Adz77) January 15, 2019
So the club is looking at players in the price range below. Idrissa Gueye, Abdoulaye Doucouré and Julian Weigl are three players part of that bracket. Three different players as well. Gueye is without a doubt the most defensive.
He has some great stats since joining Everton from Lille in the summer 2016. No one has made more tackles than him since he arrived in the Premier League (238) and he is second in interceptions (189) and third in balls recovered (667).
He has been impressive and his physicality as well as his work rate and his engine are what Tuchel is after. He needs someone who would be protecting the defence, aggressive in his pressing and who would run day and night. Gueye would do all of that.
Paris Saint-Germain captain Thiago Silva has backed the club's pursuits of Everton midfielder Idrissa Gueye and Borussia Dortmund's Julian Weigl. "I know they have the qualities to play at PSG and they would of course be welcome if they arrive." #PSG #EFC #BVB
— Pete O'Rourke (@SportsPeteO) January 16, 2019
The biggest problem is that Everton don’t want to sell him and Paris would have to put up a fight for him. Weigl, who has struggled for game time under Lucien Favre this season, is an interesting case because he is more of a ball player than Gueye.
His intelligence, his quality on the ball and his positioning are perfect for when Les Parisiens have the ball. He would fit in well in their possession game. However, he lacks some physical impact. But he knows Tuchel very well, having been excellent at Borussia Dortmund under him and is used to the intensity that the manager requires from his teams.
At 23, he is also much younger than Gueye (29). A loan with an option to buy could be the way to get him.
A move to Paris is Abdoulaye Doucouré’s absolute dream, as he admitted on French TV last week. He is a Paris-born and bred kid and he has always supported the club. “I’m flattered by the interest of PSG but for the moment there’s nothing concrete. I will focus on my performance for my club. I’ve not had contact with PSG and they’ve not contacted Watford. My goal is to play well for Watford and then maybe join a Champions League team” the Frenchman said on Sunday on Canal+.
Abdoulaye Doucouré: "I think I am going to leave Watford. I'm flattered by the interest of PSG but for the moment there's nothing concrete."
"My goal is to play well for Watford and then maybe join a Champions League team." pic.twitter.com/zwFaHPZ6O4
— Squawka News (@SquawkaNews) January 14, 2019
At 26 years old, he feels ready to move to a big club but he also acknowledged that he was not “their priority” at the moment. He is more of a box to box midfielder than Weigl and Gueye. He scores goals, he is powerful and can both defend and attack. The Pozzo family, who owns Watford, could prove hard to negotiate with.
Ideally, Paris would want a player who is a mix of Gueye, Weigl and Doucouré. It would be the perfect recruit. That’s in an ideal world. More realistically, the pressure is on now for Antero Henrique and his team to make the right choice and find the right midfielder.
After not managing to sign one six months ago, it is crucial that they get the right guy this time around. “Antero Henrique and the president said that I would have a recruit and I trust them", Tuchel said after the win at Amiens on Saturday.
"But, in the same time, I'm scared [of not having one]. I know that the transfer window in winter is complicated. I hope a new player will arrive but I'm scared too. When I get this recruit, I'll sleep well.” Nights must still be difficult at the moment for Thomas Tuchel.
