Luis Enrique had an almost perfect first season at PSG. Semi-finalist in the Champions League, the Spaniard certainly missed out a little against Borussia Dortmund but he won Ligue 1 and the Coupe de France. Quickly, there was talk of an extension, his contract expiring next June. This would even have been signed (until 2027) according to RMC Sport almost two months ago but the officialization was never communicated by the club. Enough to maintain the vagueness, especially since the coach himself has never confirmed it. “Until any official communication, I have nothing to say about this» he said on October 18.
Everything seemed obvious since the results were still there at the start of the season, despite early failures in the Champions League. Since then, things haven’t really gotten better. There was this resounding success at the Vélodrome against OM (3-0) but also poor performances in C1, notably between this draw against PSV and the two defeats against Atlético de Madrid and in Munich. The last draws against Nantes and Auxerre don’t help matters either. Added to this were internal tensions, as mentioned by us in recent days. The coach’s strong character is starting to seriously annoy certain influential members of the locker room.
“We must stay united and support the team»
Nasser Al-Khelaïfi continues to publicly support the 54-year-old Spaniard. He gave a layer to Marca This morning. “Last year we reached our third Champions League semi-final in five years. We won all the other trophies. We have transformed our strategy and our workforce. We are top of the league and will be competing in the FIFA Club World Cup this summer. It is true that some results have not been there this season in the Champions League, but when things are difficult, we have to stay united and support the team, which our supporters do, even if some media do not don’t do it.»
There is the official speech but inevitably, between the disappointing results of recent weeks and the tensions in the group, the situation is slowly changing. The Parisian president gave carte blanche to Luis Enrique, but also to the sporting director, Luis Campos. Together, the two men will have a lot to do in the transfer window. “We have a fantastic coach, Luis Enrique. We have an excellent sports advisor, Luis Campos. As a club we fully support all players and coaching staff. Our foundations are solid and our ambitions have not changed at all», insists Al-Khelaïfi to the Spanish media.
Al-Khelaïfi does not confirm the extension of Luis Enrique
The Qatari deliberately leaves doubt as to the future of his coach, which nevertheless seems to be taking shape. He does not confirm the new contract. “An extension of Luis Enrique? I’ve told you before that we want him to be here for many years. I just want him to play padel! I’m going to try to get him to participate in the Premier Padel Finals in Barcelona next week!» he laughs. Why deliberately maintain this vagueness if everything seemed complete just a few weeks ago? The short-term future should reveal this, starting with this trip to Salzburg next Tuesday in the Champions League.
