Luis Enrique had only been in charge as Paris St Germain’s manager for a day when he was asked about Kylian Mbappe on Friday. The former Barcelona and Spain coach was in his first press conference ahead of PSG’s inaugural Ligue 1 match against Lorient. However, the “Mbappe Saga” continued to heat up as speculation over his future at the club intensified.
Mbappe’s contract at PSG expires at the end of this season, and the France superstar has told the club he does not want to take up its option to extend it. That leaves him free to leave for a massive transfer fee next summer. He has also been linked with a move to long-time suitor Real Madrid. Mbappe is training separately from his new manager, and the saga has clouded the Spaniard’s early days at the club.
Enrique, who is Spanish and usually speaks through a translator, declined to comment on the Mbappe news when asked about it at his first press conference in France. He added that the atmosphere in training was “normal,” adding: “The players train, we talk, and we work.”
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Whether the 53-year-old Spaniard can soar above the Paris noise and make his mark at a club that has been notorious for its soap operas is a big question. He must bring a sense of calm and clarity to a squad that has suffered from too many managers and too much infighting. He has been tasked with reviving the Champions League, where PSG has struggled to make an impact since cash-rich Qatari investors took over in 2011. In the seven seasons since then, the club has spent enormous amounts of money on stars, including Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Edinson Cavani, and Mbappe. Still, the best they have managed is to reach a final — in 2020’s pandemic-shortened format.
It is a task that Enrique accepts with relish, saying that he “loves the pressure” attached to the goal of winning the European competition at PSG. He is keen to impose his ideas on a team that has tended to be too focused on results. Getting his players to buy into that philosophy will be critical, and how he communicates with them is significant. To this end, he records himself speaking to each player during sessions and ensures every instruction is accurately translated afterward. He believes this method gives his players the best chance to understand what he wants from them. It may not be the conventional approach, but it works.