PSG sent struggling striker Randal Kolo Muani on loan to Juventus, and they, in a sense, replaced him by signing left winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia from Napoli. A deal between Paris and Naples for the Georgian sensation is set to be completed soon, with Fabrizio Romano reporting that the forward is in the French capital for a medical ahead of an official transfer announcement.
Before the deal becomes official and we learn about details like contract length, transfer fee, add-ons, bonuses, and salary, let’s take a closer look at how the man they call Kvaradona will fit the PSG starting lineup.
Defense: GK Gianluigi Donnarumma, LB Nuno Mendes, CB Willian Pacho, CB Marquinhos, RB Achraf Hakimi
There isn’t really much to say about the PSG defense, other than the fact that this back four is one of the best in European football on paper, even if it sometimes leaves a little bit to be desired in execution.
You won’t find a better fullback pairing than Achraf Hakimi and Nuno Mendes, and the latter will be especially useful to Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who helped Mario Rui have a career year during his breakout 2022/23 season when Napoli won the Scudetto.
Mendes is at least as good technically, a much better athlete, and light years ahead of Rui defensively to the point where the mere attempt at comparison seems quite insulting.
Midfield: CM Joao Neves, CM Vitinha, CM Warren Zaire-Emery
PSG have a number of options in midfield, including former Napoli standout and European Championship hero Fabian Ruiz, but this trio has been the main one used by Enrique this season.
Vitinha provides the chance creation, Neves does it all as a world-class defensive midfielder in his first season in the so-called big leagues, and Zaire-Emery is one of the best young midfielders on this planet despite the lack of hype he gets in Ligue 1.
All of these guys can work together to win possession and create chances in a way that is a little bit reminiscent of the well-rounded and skillful midfield Kvaratskhelia benefited from in Napoli when he won the Serie A title a couple of seasons ago.
Attack: LW Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, CF Bradley Barcola, RW Ousmane Dembele
Navigating the front three with Kvaratskhelia in Paris is going to be the biggest challenge for the organization, because they have a wealth of world-class wingers while owning a dearth of quality strikers.
Goncalo Ramos is the only out-and-out No. 9 in the PSG lineup right now, and he’s so poor that there is no point in starting him. The former Primeira Liga standout has just two goals this season, equal to Marco Asensio, who, likewise, has no business starting in the middle either.
It would be better to shift Bradley Barcola to the 9, because while that’s not an ideal setup for the young Frenchman, he at least has 10 goals this season and offers some level of attacking threat there.
PSG will just field their best three forwards and look to make it a fluid attack, which isn’t a bad idea. As Manchester City taught us by winning the Premier League with freaking Ilkay Gundogan as a striker, you are better off rolling with your best three than rather shoehorning in a bad striker.
Barcola and Ousmane Dembele have been tremendous this season with 20 goals between them, and perhaps the dazzling skills and dogged determination of Kvaradona can coax some more consistency out of the French league’s two most gifted forwards this season.
