The summer was particularly lively at the Parisian training center in Poissy. Throughout this summer period, numerous issues have stirred up Parisian news, and Luis Enrique would surely have appreciated a little more tranquility and calm to launch his adventure on the bench of the French champion. Among the most tense cases, there was that leading to Marco Verratti, dismissed then sold to Al-Arabi in Qatar, then that of Kylian Mbappé, sidelined because of his contractual situation, before being reinstated in the group.
News which clearly disrupted the preparation of a Luis Enrique who had recently arrived in Paris with the intention of imposing his mark. Moreover, this Monday, the daily The Team dedicates a long article on how the Spaniard worked with Luis Campos and Nasser al-Khelaïfi during this summer period. We learn that the relationship between the three men was very fluid, with roles well distributed, and that everyone put water in their wine for the interest of the club and the team. All three worked hand in hand to build the best possible squad.
Luis Enrique did not want Verratti to leave
In particular, we have the inside story of the Verratti affair. Contrary to what had been said, Luis Enrique was not eager to sell the Italian, quite the contrary. It was the management who convinced him, relying in particular on arguments such as the poor lifestyle of the player trained in Pescara and the bad influence he could have on others. Arguments that Luis Enrique was subsequently able to confirm since the player arrived at the restart overweight. The financial aspect had also been put forward by its leaders.
As for the Mbappé affair, Luis Enrique was very tense. In this story, it was Luis Campos who calmed things down with NAK, explaining that it would not be productive to clash with the Bondynois. The Portuguese, like the Spanish coach, were aware that it would be practically impossible to leave him in the stands all season, as some in Doha wanted. Qatar therefore changed its mind and finally changed its strategy, to the delight of the former Spanish coach. But with only 2 victories in 5 days of Ligue 1, Luis Enrique knows that now, he is the one playing big…
