Luis Enrique looks set to sign a new Paris Saint-Germain contract soon, but it won’t necessarily be something that the club are making a priority to get done straight away, according to Jonathan Johnson.
Speaking exclusively to CaughtOffside for his latest Daily Briefing column, the French football expert explained his latest understanding of Enrique’s PSG future and why it seems to have gone so well for the Spanish tactician at the Parc des Princes.
Enrique won the Ligue 1 title last season and got PSG into the semi-finals of the Champions League, where they were a little unlucky to lose to surprise package Borussia Dortmund, so there’s certainly some real progress being made at the club, especially considering the difficulties they’ve had in losing star player Kylian Mbappe this summer.
Johnson has praised the work done by Enrique, saying it’s little surprise that PSG are now keen to hand him a new contract, with things likely to be concluded in the coming months, though the club are also working on new deals for players as well.
Enrique praised for PSG work
“A new contract for Luis Enrique at PSG is in the works. It’s not necessarily a top priority for the moment, but there is an on-and-off dialogue between Enrique and the club, with both parties very happy with how things have been going. It was a positive start for Enrique in his first season and there’s also optimism for this season after a good summer and how the new season has started as well,” Johnson said.
“At the moment, everything is progressing and on track as Fabrizio Romano has reported, but I don’t think it’s something we’re going to see done in the next few days, but over the coming weeks and months it’s definitely something PSG are keen to try and sort out.
“If it all progresses as expected, then I think it’s a really good move for PSG. It’s been quite rare for them to find a coach that is so willing to take on the challenge that PSG presents, both in terms of the expectations and the pressure that comes with managing a club with a lot of money, who’ve signed a lot of star names, but which hasn’t really had the success in the Champions League that many people have expected of them.
“The thing that has impressed me most is the way that Enrique has imposed a new style on the team and embraced PSG’s ambition to move towards a younger and more French, Paris-based core of players. I think his willingness to build towards the future without Kylian Mbappe has also been rewarded, given how they’ve started so far, and I think he’s just generally simplified what has historically been a very tricky managerial posting.
“There have not been too many managers who’ve enjoyed sustained success with PSG, and, who knows, maybe Enrique will become the latest to fall into that trap, but for the moment it’s going really well and it looks like he’s on course to become the most successful manager since Thomas Tuchel. Obviously Tuchel took PSG one step further in the Champions League, reaching the final, but let’s see what this season could hold.
“For now I’m told the feeling inside the camp is really positive, and I think Enrique is someone as well who is less likely than Tuchel to clash with the club hierarchy. It also seems like the club are willing to back him and invest in his ideas for the medium to long term, so it’s looking like a good match so far.
“So I think it’s for that reason that both parties are keen to sort out a new contract and make sure that they can continue building towards the future together. There will be other challenges that PSG have to give attention too as well, which means they can’t fully focus on Enrique’s contract situation, but in the next international breaks it wouldn’t surprise me to see some progress made. At some point between now and the end of the year there should be an update on that, though PSG are also looking at some player contracts to resolve as well for that period.”