Luis Enrique was appointed as the new coach of Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday on a two-year deal, but his unveiling was overshadowed by ongoing questions about the future of Kylian Mbappe.
The 53-year-old former Barcelona coach, who had been a free agent since being sacked by Spain last December, replaces Christophe Galtier after his departure was confirmed earlier in the day.
Luis Enrique was unveiled at a press conference alongside the Qatar-backed club’s president Nasser al-Khelaifi at their new training complex in Poissy, north-west of the French capital.
“I’m delighted to be joining Paris in order to enjoy a new experience,” Luis Enrique said in a club statement.
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“It’s so exciting to meet new people, to live in this city, to learn a new language and, above all, to manage PSG.”
Yet when asked whether he had been given any guarantees that superstar forward Mbappe would remain at the club for the coming campaign, he was evasive.
The Spaniard later insisted he was “counting on all the players who are under contract”.
‘Mbappe must sign’
However, Khelaifi stated that Mbappe, 24, “must sign a new contract” if he wants to remain at PSG in the coming season.
“The position is very clear. If Kylian wants to stay, he must sign a new contract. We can’t let the best player in the world today leave for free. It’s impossible,” Khelaifi said.
“He said he would not leave for free. If somebody has changed his mind, that is not my fault.”
Mbappe declared last month that he would not extend his contract, which expires next year.
The club must therefore sell the player in the current transfer window, otherwise they will likely lose him for nothing when his deal ends.
Real Madrid hoped to sign Mbappe a year ago before he penned a new contract in Paris. The Spanish giants are favourites to secure the striker if he does eventually change clubs.
The new coach is the eighth man to lead the club since the transformative Qatari takeover of 2011 and, like those before him, will be charged with bringing them the success in the Champions League that has so far proved elusive.
PSG have never won Europe’s most prestigious club competition, coming closest when they lost in the 2020 final to Bayern Munich.
They have gone out in the last 16 in five of the last seven seasons, losing to Bayern at that stage in the most recent campaign. That defeat proved costly for Galtier.
