PSG 2016-17 season review: Results, roster changes, and 2017 summer transfer targets

There can be no doubt that it has been a disappointing season for Paris Saint-Germain. By far and away the strongest and richest force in French football, they were pipped to the Ligue 1 title by a thrilling young AS Monaco side, missing out on top spot for the first time in five years. Add to that the disappointment of a calamitous Champions League knockout stage collapse against Barcelona, and coach Unai Emery doesn’t emerge too rosy.

It hasn’t all been bad news: They defeated Monaco in the final of the Coupe de la Ligue in April, and will be expecting to defend their Coupe de France crown when they take on Angers on the weekend. But these are very much consolation prizes for a team who have long harbored ambitions to establish themselves as one of the very best in world football. For now, they’re not even the best in the country.

The highlight of PSG’s season is very easy to pinpoint. It came in the first leg of their Champions League first knockout round tie against Barcelona at the Parc des Princes in February, as they romped to a 4-0 victory.

It was a sign of what PSG could be at their very best. It was the kind of display of shape-shifting intelligence that the Parisian supporters had been hoping for since coach Emery replaced Laurent Blanc; after a whirlwind start of high-pressing, the French side were able to retreat into a more cautious — yet no less effective — counter-attacking style. Summer signing Julian Draxler turned in a star performance, Ángel Di María netted a brace, academy graduate Adrien Rabiot stole the show.

At the time, we described it as “one of the great Champions League performances of recent times,” and suggested “only a second leg catastrophe will prevent the French champions from progressing into the quarterfinals.”

Unfortunately for PSG, said catastrophe is exactly what ensued. They crumbled 6-1 in the away leg at the Camp Nou, thrashed by a Barcelona team enduring a similarly disappointing campaign. The players looked understandably shell shocked by the nature of the defeat, and immediately questions surfaced about Emery’s future at the club. Premature? Almost certainly, but there are few clubs in world football with greater expectations.

The undeniable fact is that Emery’s first season in charge has been a huge disappointment. The excellent work he did at Sevilla should ensure he’s given at least another year to turn things around, but PSG’s barnstorming display in the first leg against Barça has very much proven the exception to a rather turgid rule. With the exception of Draxler, their summer signings failed to convince, and Emery failed to establish the kind of football that earned him such plaudits in Spain. Sporting director Olivier Létang has already taken the hit, having announced his resignation in April.

In short, not a lot went obviously wrong; the problem is that almost nothing went right.

There’s no doubt that PSG are a talented bunch, and their Barça victory showed the kind of potential there is to be unlocked. They have a smattering of world-class players, and in Presnel Kimpembe, Serge Aurier, and Rabiot, they have three young stars who could go on to become dominant in their respective positions. The balance of the squad may not be quite right, but the basics of a very strong team are already in place.

They can also be optimistic about the fact that more is clearly yet to come from Emery. You don’t win three consecutive European titles by accident, nor do you do so with such exciting football without being a very intelligent tactician. After a season of bedding-in, don’t be surprised to see PSG look much better from the start of next season.

Finally, the most cynical reason for optimism: PSG are one of the biggest and richest teams on the planet. They’ve got the kind of financial might that Monaco could only dream of, and will no doubt be looking to splash the cash this summer. The resources are in place, now they just need to be smartly spent.

Smart spending at PSG will be easier said than done; with a sprinkling of star players from top to bottom, it’s quite difficult to identify exactly how they’ll be able to redress the balance with a few signings. It is certainly true that they have no real backup to striker Edinson Cavani — who finished as the Ligue 1’s top scorer, but has all too often failed to deliver in Europe — and Borussia Dortmund’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang is one name being linked with a move.

By the same token, PSG are lacking in many natural wingers, restricting the extent to which Emery can tinker with his tactics. Lucas Moura is their only out-and-out wide player, with the likes of Di María, Draxler, and Hatem Ben Arfa all more naturally suited to central playmaking roles. A move for Arsenal’s Alexis Sánchez, as has been rumoured, wouldn’t be all that surprising.

But Sánchez has been more strongly linked to Bayern Munich, while Aubameyang’s family has openly stated that his dream is to play for Real Madrid. PSG is a huge team that can attract stars, but until they’re beating teams like Bayern and Madrid in European competition, they might lose transfer battles with them.

Finally, it’s clear that PSG are lacking in the defensive department. Thiago Silva is now 32, with Marquinhos and the 21-year-old Kimpembe the only other centre-backs in the squad. Full back and club legend Maxwell is leaving this summer, meaning Layvin Kurzawa, Thomas Meunier, and Aurier are the only remaining players in that position. They’re seriously lacking in depth — and perhaps even the requisite quality. We can’t expect Emery to make wholesale changes at the back this summer, but we can certainly anticipate one or two reinforcements.