There’s A Twist In The Tale!

It has finally happened. The worst-kept secret in world football is out now as Real Madrid have agreed a deal to sign Kylian Mbappe in the summer on a “free” transfer. We say free because the Frenchman is set to earn north of €150 million in signing bonus over the length of his contract, along with a wage of €15 million/year. Madrid have their superstar, but where do PSG go from here? Here are some Mbappe replacement options for PSG as they enter a “Post-Kylian era”.

Kylian Mbappe replacements at PSG

The first question that needs clarifying is that there is no direct replacement for Mbappe in world football. Los Blancos are getting as close to a guarantee of a future Ballon d’Or winner as is possible in this unpredictable sport.

If he retired tomorrow, he would still be among the top 50 attackers of all time at the very least and he has achieved all that at just 25.

Having said that, Mbappe had his faults as well and for PSG, this is a chance to sort out their wage structure and function as a collective instead of acting at the whims and fancy of one player.

With that out of the picture, here are the top options for PSG to replace Kylian Mbappe-

Victor Osimhen

PSG ideally wanted Mbappe to play as the No 9, something which the Frenchman was never comfortable with as he wanted to play off the left. It caused a lot of consternation in the camp and affected team dynamics with numerous strikers having to accommodate the player’s desire.

The best case scenario then, is for PSG to buy a natural No 9 to replace the outgoing reluctant No 9.

Osimhen exiting Napoli in the summer is a question of when, and not if. In fact, an argument can be made that he should have left last summer at the peak. This season, Napoli are a disaster and Osimhen has tried his best to carry the side from ruins.

Naturally, his numbers have dwindled as the team is not fluent anymore but with a star cast like PSG’s, those should go up. Moreover, his link-up play, hold-up game with his back to the goal, and the ability to be an aerial threat will add a dimension to this PSG attack that it hasn’t had in years since Cavani and Ibrahimovic were the focal points.

Mbappe leaving causes a gap in stardust in the squad but for the overall balance of the team, it can be argued that Osimhen is a better fit.

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