Almost four months after the resumption of Ligue 1, let’s take a first look at Paris Saint-Germain’s four summer recruits.
This summer marked the second summer transfer window for the new Paris Saint-Germain project with the Luis Enrique – Luis Campos tandem at its command. If in 2023, the equivalent of a complete football team had arrived in the capital since eleven recruits had signed, in 2024, the number of reinforcements was reduced. Only four players arrived at Campus Poissy, mainly late, in fact.
Because if the signing of Matvey Safonov took place at the beginning of July, we had to wait until August to see Joao Neves, William Pacho and Désiré Doué, also courted by Bayern Munich, join Paris. “He will help us a lot. He is a great reinforcement and I am very happy that he has agreed to sign with us” explained Luis Enrique about Désiré Doué at a press conference, a few days after the arrival of the former Rennais.
What we see, firstly, is that each of the summer recruits adapts at their own pace to their new team. William Pacho and Joao Neves quickly became essential in the starting lineup.
Arriving discreetly this summer from Eintracht Frankfurt, William Pacho quickly made a name for himself among the supporters but also in the eyes of his coach. It’s quite simple, ultimately. The Ecuadorian defender is the player who has played the most minutes this season at PSG (1,197 minutes), ahead of Achraf Hakimi (1,119 minutes) and Warren Zaire-Emery (1,086). Facilitated by a sporting context which plays in his favor, since Danilo Pereira has left the club, Milan Skriniar does not really fit into Enrique’s plans, and Presnel Kimpembe is still injured, William Pacho has established himself alongside of Marquinhos with whom he has formed, until now, a hinge that is both solid and complementary. The former Bundesliga player is (very) strong in duels but particularly impresses with his liveliness and strength in one-on-one situations. Present at a press conference before the Champions League match against Atlético de Madrid in early November, Pacho spoke: “I came here because I felt that people believed in me. It helps me grow as a player, this confidence deposited in me. I try to bring my qualities to the team.” For now, he is succeeding brilliantly.
Six assists in eleven days of Ligue 1, and obviously first in this ranking of “assists”, Joao Neves has also adapted very well and very quickly to his new team. “He’s a monster.” declared captain Marquinhos about him in a press conference before facing Girona in the Champions League in September. Skillful with the ball but also very concerned with counter-pressing and recovering the ball, the 20-year-old Portuguese delights his coach who has already made him a starter in this Paris version 2024-2025. In the very mobile and interchangeable environment of Luis Enrique, Neves is intelligent enough to play, at the same time, very high, but also to compensate for the movements of his teammates and to sometimes take the role of number 6 in front of the defense.
“I was not told that I will be number 2, I will constantly fight to be number 1.” As soon as he arrived from Krasnodar, the Russian Matvey Safonov set the tone. In three months of competition, he still seems behind Gianluigi Donnarumma in the hierarchy, for the moment, at least. Safonov started four matches in all competitions. The Parisian goalkeeper officially began his season on September 18 against Girona in the Champions League (1-0), taking advantage of the absence of the Italian who had just become a father a few days earlier. Then Safonov continued against Reims (1-1, 09/21) and Rennes (3-1, 09/27) when Donnarumma was injured. Back as a starter against RC Lens at the beginning of November (1-0), his performances would push Luis Enrique to consider setting up competition. The game at the foot of the goalkeeper pleases the Spanish tactician, an area in which Donnarumma does not necessarily shine. “Today, Safonov allowed us to have a certain superiority. He was very good and it wasn’t easy for him. I am very happy with his performance.” explained the PSG coach after the victory against Lens.
The battle with Bayern Munich over the recruitment of Désiré Doué made the player’s signing particularly exciting for Paris Saint-Germain fans, who were delighted to see one of France’s most promising young players join their club rather than the German giant . But to date, we have not yet seen the Rennes Doué at the Parc des Princes, who, at 19 years old, undoubtedly needs time to fully adapt. Not that the situation is worrying, far from it. Because talent, we see it in sequence like during this first period against Reims during which he was the most active offensive player, or even this end of the match against RC Lens with his repeated dribbles on the right side. Considered by Luis Enrique as a side attacker, or even a false number 9, the Espoirs international must get used to these new positions for him, who played lower down at Stade Rennais. “Désiré is a top player for the future“, declared the red and blue coach about his €55M recruit, still looking for his first goal at Paris Saint-Germain.
