French Ligue 1
Language war brews at PSG!
There is reported to be a growing concern in the Paris Saint-Germain squad regarding the lack of French used across the first team squad and club in general.
The super rich Ligue 1 giants boast one of the most diverse squads in all of European football, but this is now said to be having a knock-on affect with some of the cultural aspects of the team.
PSG, who currently top Ligue 1 with an eight point margin and sit a point clear in Group A of the Champions League, now find themselves in a position whereby the majority language within the club is not French and the language is fading out in the dressing room as a result, according to a report in Marca.
It claims that manager Mauricio Pochettino barely uses the French language at all, instead addressing his players instead primarily in his native Spanish or English.
While in England, Pochettino spoke with a translator throughout his time at Southampton and when he was approached by Tottenham, they told him he must speak English in public.
Now, some of his South American coaching staff are reported to have a good command of French, but it is not the go-to language of the squad as a whole and the players now realise this.
A long-standing tradition of the PSG hierarchy was to ensure new signings took up the learning of the language so as to converse with team-mates both socially and in a professional capacity, though this is said to have stopped.
Star man Kylian Mbappe, playing in the capital of his home country, reportedly makes an effort to speak Spanish or English.
Fellow English speakers such as Idrissa Gueye and Abdou Diallo do likewise, switching from their preferred tongue.
Neymar, Angel Di Maria and Keylor Navas are said to never use French, but they do understand it.
New arrivals, such as Lionel Messi and Nuno Mendes, however, have no knowledge of French and still to more familiar languages to converse.
Sportsmail reported back in 2014 that when Pochettino was approached by Tottenham while Southampton manager, they underlined the importance of him speaking English.
Pochettino was known to speak English in private with his Saints squad but used an interpreter for his media commitments to articulate himself more precisely.
Paul Pogba has joined AS Monaco on a free transfer after signing a two-year contract, the Ligue 1 club said on Saturday, as the 32-year-old French midfielder looks to revive his career following a doping ban.
Pogba was handed a four-year doping ban in February 2024 after testing positive for DHEA, which boosts testosterone levels. The suspension was cut to 18 months after a successful appeal at the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
Italian club Juventus announced in November that they had mutually agreed to terminate his contract, which was due to expire in June 2026.
The 2018 World Cup winner had a disappointing second spell with Juventus due to injuries after returning to the Turin-based club following his departure from Manchester United on a free transfer in 2022.
Pogba was signed by United in 2016 for a then-world record fee of 89 million pounds ($122 million) but the four-times Serie A champion won only two trophies with the Premier League club — the League Cup and Europa League in his first season.
He last played for France in 2022 but knee surgery prevented him from appearing at the World Cup in Qatar.
Monaco finished third behind Ligue 1 champions Paris St Germain and Olympique de Marseille last season.
-Reuters
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After Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi signed a contract extension with French Ligue 1 side, Paris Saint-Germain, he became the World’s most-paid fullback.
The Moroccan international will earn a staggering €70 million in wages over his new five-year deal, cementing his status as football’s highest-paid defender.
He signed a contract extension with the French champions until 2029. The new deal adds three years to his previous contract, which was set to expire in 2026.
His net salary is increasing from €10 million to €14 million per season (€28 million gross).
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The 2024 Ballon d’Or nominee and Super Eagles winger, Ademola Lookman, is almost certain to leave the Serie A in the coming winter transfer window following interest from Premiership but the biggest interest is from Paris Saint Germaine.
The AFCON 2024 silver medal winner with Nigeria has been on the radar of the London side, West Ham United and three other sides from the league but all is more certain that the London club will find it difficult to compete for the signature of Atalanta star according to Football Insider.
Reports have suggested that the Irons are ready to swoop for the Nigeria international in the January transfer window.
However, sources say there will be “huge interest” from Europe in the 27-year-old ex-Everton star.
Paris Saint-Germain will be the frontrunner for the forward if he becomes available in the coming months.
Additionally, Lookman plays in the same area of the pitch as West Ham’s big-money summer signings Crysencio Summerville and Luis Guilherme.
The London-born has raised his stock with his displays for Atalanta since joining from RB Leipzig in 2022.
He finished 14th in the Ballon d’Or rankings this year after leading the Italian side to a Europa League title last term.
Lookman has already hit five goals and contributed five assists in 10 games across all competitions this term.
The forward, who is under contract until June 2026, hit 17 goals and notched 10 assists in 45 appearances last season.
West Ham are unlikely to have serious funds to spend in the January window after their lavish spending in the off-season.
Julen Lopetegui’s side started slowly and sat 13th in the Premier League after nine games.
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