Are PSG a failed project?

Nani Nana

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Twelve years on from Qatar Sports Investment's takeover, PSG have reached the Champions League final just once and are struggling to attract and retain talent.

Mbappé wants a move, Verratti would rather see out his days in Saudi Arabia, and the coaches at the helm are largely underwhelming names like Christophe Galthier and now Luis Enrique.

The Qatar World Cup has come and gone and the owners might not want to stay for the long term. Jean-Claude Blanc, the CEO who played such a vital part in making PSG a great commercial brand, left recently. The club is valued at €3bn making for a substantial profit in the event of a sale.

Are PSG a failed project or will they take over Europe still?
 
The aim would have been to win the champions league, and not the diddy competitions in France. They haven’t won it, so you could say it hasn’t been a success that’s for sure.

Is the opposite to success, failure?
Or can you have the middle ground of improvement.
 
Yes, pretty much.

There had been a feeling that their Champions League was a matter of time, but this is no longer the case.

They really could have done without banking on past-it Messi and Ramos. This looked like the final straw to me.
 
It's a success at national level.

Before the take over they only won 2 league titles, and had nothing on Marseille and Lyon.

They can't retain their players cause France have always sold their best players to other leagues, that doesn't have much to do with PSG dynamics, but more with France being a supplier for other leagues since the mid 90s when the level of the league started to fell off due to France struggling to market their league like PL, Serie A, or La Liga.
 
In the grand scheme of things it’s difficult to be a long term success in a very uncompetitive league with low interest. It’s difficult to just have UCL wins regarded as “success” considering how much luck is involved in winning it.
 
City had what, a 3 or 4 year head start on PSG? And it took them until this year to finally win the CL.
 
What's Neymar's mood currently?

Messi and probably Mbappe out so after 6 years he's finally the PSG main man and "leader."

If he played a huge role in leading the newly formed plucky underdog PSG to CL glory he'd actually have a very good chance of winning the Balon D'Or so surely that's reason enough to get fit and motivated for probably one final season there. Enrique going there should help his mood aswell.

Or he can't be bothered and will just have a season of his agency briefing endlessly that he wants to move to Saudi or MLS himself and things will just fizzle out.
 
Bit harsh on Enrique, much as Spain flattered to deceive under him (with largely B list CFs, it has to be said) .

But yeah, on balance, they're a failed project..
 
Winning the CL isnt that easy... just look at Manchester City. Even look at Manchester United and how little Champions Leagues Manchester United or even SAF have won. Its just very difficult to win. You need to be lucky with not having your star players injured at the wrong time, no referee mistakes and just have a bit off luck during the games. If i remember correctly they were better than Bayern in the final they played. Neymar missed some big chances in that final too i believe.

PSG was a club that to me was known as ''the club Ronaldinho once played for' and thats it. Now they are a world wide brand that is associated with superstardom (Neymar, Messi, Mbappe). Its too bad their league isnt that great but Paris deserves a big superpower club, the same way how Berlin should have one, and France as a footballing country deserves to be a force in club football.

So no, i dont think it is a failed project at all.
 
Chief123 said:
In the grand scheme of things it’s difficult to be a long term success in a very uncompetitive league with low interest. It’s difficult to just have UCL wins regarded as “success” considering how much luck is involved in winning it.
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Winning it may be due to luck, but reaching the semis on a regular basis would have been a reasonable expectation considering their initial ambition.


FootballHQ said:
What's Neymar's mood currently?

Messi and probably Mbappe out so after 6 years he's finally the PSG main man and "leader."

If he played a huge role in leading the newly formed plucky underdog PSG to CL glory he'd actually have a very good chance of winning the Balon D'Or so surely that's reason enough to get fit and motivated for probably one final season there. Enrique going there should help his mood aswell.

Or he can't be bothered and will just have a season of his agency briefing endlessly that he wants to move to Saudi or MLS himself and things will just fizzle out.
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Surely Neymar cannot single-handedly win a CL title? Transfer window is still open but right now, as things stand he has Ekitike as the target man.
 
If we're judging them solely on sporting metrics, then yes. (Politically and commercially speaking, I'm sure they've achieved their goals.)

PSG haven't come close to meeting their most important target of winning the Champions League (disregarding that one, coronavirus-hit season in 2019-2020) and look further away now than ever.

I think it's simply impossible to build a Ligue 1 team into one that can win the Champions League. The team just won't be tested enough on a regular basis within its own domestic league, meaning that it can never build up the mental resilience required to become a truly world class team.
 
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Another angle on why PSG are a failed project is that Ligue 1 as a whole seems to have been going backwards since 2011.

The Qatar owners probably thought other sugar daddies would buy Marseille, Lyon etc and that did not happen.

The new Lyon owners (US origin) are not the type to splash the cash, and the league as a whole is less competitive.
 
It was always going to be a challenge to turn a team from a farmers league like France into serious European contenders, no matter how much money they threw at it. Their team of mercenaries can win Ligue 1 at a canter but if they’re not being pushed every weekend, like their counterparts in England, Spain and Italy are, how are they going to be in good enough shape to take on the best in Europe? That isn’t something you can turn on at will.

But even with all that, they’ve still been a very badly run club.
 
Nani Nana said:
Another angle on why PSG are a failed project is that Ligue 1 as a whole seems to have been going backwards since 2011.

The Qatar owners probably thought other sugar daddies would buy Marseille, Lyon etc and that did not happen.

The new Lyon owners (US origin) are not the type to splash the cash, and the league as a whole is less competitive.
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2009-2011 is likely the worst period for Ligue 1. If that's an other angle then you are on the opposite side of reality.
 
JPRouve said:
2009-2011 is likely the worst period for Ligue 1. If that's an other angle then you are on the opposite side of reality.
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Two French clubs in the Champions League quarterfinals in 2010. Has that happened since?
 
Not if the goal is the Champions League.

But what is the goal of Qatar Sports Investment? I'm not sure. By their own metrics of what governs success or failure they may be doing superbly. I don't know if winning a CL is the highest thing up their list. Maybe they put that out there for public consumpton because what sports fan wants to hear about their owners non-sporting goals?
 
Yes and no. No in that PSG never won a CL trophy, but yes in that they are now the object of fascination.
 
Nani Nana said:
Another angle on why PSG are a failed project is that Ligue 1 as a whole seems to have been going backwards since 2011.

The Qatar owners probably thought other sugar daddies would buy Marseille, Lyon etc and that did not happen.

The new Lyon owners (US origin) are not the type to splash the cash, and the league as a whole is less competitive.
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I don't know how true it is but years ago when Qatar invested in the club, the thought process was to buy from other French teams mostly which would share some wealth around. They targeted non Ligue 1 players like Shaun Wright-Phillips until Leonardo came on board and changed the project. I read that from a PSG fan off of another forum.

About the project, there's some success. I see a lot of kids wearing PSG shirts, the Jordan branding helps a lot and this wouldn't happen without investment. They have won league titles which they were close to before the takeover. But at UCL level, they have come close but have failed to build a squad after all these years.
 
Nani Nana said:
Two French clubs in the Champions League quarterfinals in 2010. Has that happened since?
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Yes it has happened twice. But that's beyond the point, Ligue 1 today and since 2011 has been far better, the only issue which is reminiscent of the 90s is that the teams between 2nd to 7th are even which isn't a good thing when it comes to contintental competitions.
 
Lay said:
I don't know how true it is but years ago when Qatar invested in the club, the thought process was to buy from other French teams mostly which would share some wealth around. They targeted non Ligue 1 players like Shaun Wright-Phillips until Leonardo came on board and changed the project. I read that from a PSG fan off of another forum.

About the project, there's some success. I see a lot of kids wearing PSG shirts, the Jordan branding helps a lot and this wouldn't happen without investment. They have won league titles which they were close to before the takeover. But at UCL level, they have come close but have failed to build a squad after all these years.
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That PSG fan was smocking something strong, Leonardo arrived with QSI.
 
From a sporting point of view, they've been dysfunctional and mostly underachieved. But were talking about them pretty consistently and they're in the conversation for the champions league most seasons, which is a drastic improvement over where they or any other french team were. They'll stop screwing up and get it right at some point probably. You'd hope the owners have learned some lessons along the way.
 
No, absolutely not. PSG are a much more successful club now, with a significantly greater and broader fanbase, while Qatar have been growing and improving their image in the western world.

Winning a CL is certainly the sporting pinnacle but to think it is the only thing that matters is absurd to me.
 
Lay said:
I don't know how true it is but years ago when Qatar invested in the club, the thought process was to buy from other French teams mostly which would share some wealth around. They targeted non Ligue 1 players like Shaun Wright-Phillips until Leonardo came on board and changed the project. I read that from a PSG fan off of another forum.
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It did happen with Mbappé, arguably their finest bit of business.

Nevertheless losing Coman, missing out on Tchouameni and Camavinga, on Kolo Muani who is now rumoured for a move back to France, shows that approach has failed.
 
Yes and no.

Where was the French league before PSG became what they are? The league is now 4th or 5th best league in Europe, when it was probably behind Holland, and maybe Belgium before then. All the best French talent left when they were young also.

When you look at them from that angle, they should be happy with what they've managed to achieve already, but obviously they want that CL so they probably consider themselves a failure so far.
 
Interesting question. What strikes me as remarkable is how despite the French national team broadly dominating international football over the past 24 years (four finals & two WC wins), despite the Parisian suburbs emerging as one of the hottest breeding grounds for European talent, and despite the billions invested in PSG to take them from an unremarkable French club to one of Europe’s top teams, Ligue 1 remains comparatively dire.

Sure it's seen marginal improvements, but to me, the failure of the league to develop competitively and in quality means that even if they had won the UCL, the PSG project could not be deemed a sustainable success, not until the former happens.

What would come after a UCL win, had it happened in 2020 or if it happens in the coming years? They’d have obtained their holy grail and then return to Ligue 1 winning with half-assed weekly performances, and I doubt any serious or ambitious players would have any reason to remain at the club post-UCL win, because what else would they have to play for?

PSG was a local club and is now a global phenomenon. Yet the fans have—admirably—refused to be swooned by the mere fact they have superstars playing for them each week, the protests at Neymar’s house this year shows that raw talent isn’t enough, they demand a passion and respect for the club, not the passive performances of uninterested ‘mercenaries’.

They have years to win the UCL so I wouldn’t dismiss their current inability to do so as a marker of failure, but without weekly domestic competition I can’t imagine them retaining their talent, with or without it.

I don't think it'll be enough for them to be a UCL club. They're a French club first, and while their owners can never fully appreciate that, the fans have held that view steadfast.
 
They basically tried to replicate the Galactico transfer model so I reckon branding was probably their main goal rather than the CL which everyone references. They clearly want to win it but I get the impression they like having players like Mbappe and Neymar more. They are a staple in the CL and have a worldwide brand now, I don't think it is a failure.

Conversely to the idea they have failed, if you take away the historical side of the clubs and all trophies reset today - they have basically become Bayern. The difference is their transfer strategy has been all over the shop and, if they actually start to be a bit more sensible they should be a real force. They have a weirdly near identical revenue to Bayern (last year Bayern 654m EUR vs PSG 654.2m EUR) *Statista and the similarities are obvious domestically, near guaranteed CL qualification, ability to dominate domestic transfers.
 
crossy1686 said:
Yes and no.

Where was the French league before PSG became what they are? The league is now 4th or 5th best league in Europe, when it was probably behind Holland, and maybe Belgium before then. All the best French talent left when they were young also.

When you look at them from that angle, they should be happy with what they've managed to achieve already, but obviously they want that CL so they probably consider themselves a failure so far.
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Probably around the same place it's right now and I'm not sure it's even the 5th best league in Europe.
 
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crossy1686 said:
Yes and no.

Where was the French league before PSG became what they are? The league is now 4th or 5th best league in Europe, when it was probably behind Holland, and maybe Belgium before then. All the best French talent left when they were young also.

When you look at them from that angle, they should be happy with what they've managed to achieve already, but obviously they want that CL so they probably consider themselves a failure so far.
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Belgium were nowhere near France. At the time the competition was Portugal or Russia with either of these being between 4th and 7th.
 
PSG as a brand : improved but who really cares?
Ligue 1 as a league : stalled
PSG as a club : worse than 5 years ago

Jury still out, but to me looks like a failure
 
PSG are neither a failed nor a successful project. They have experienced what most clubs experience within a 10 to 15 years timelapse, good moments and also bad ones.
 
JPRouve said:
PSG are neither a failed nor a successful project. They have experienced what most clubs experience within a 10 to 15 years timelapse, good moments and also bad ones.
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What good moments they had? Winning French league and making it to UCL finals? With that much money spent on stars I fail to see "good" moments. They are a failed project thus far. They bought and highly paid unmotivated superstars.
 
As a sportswashing project for Qatar, I'd say it has delivered somewhat. The brand is big and popular and lots of kids wear PSG gear in the streets where I live (they don't show the french league on any channel). Partnering up with Nike and using the Jordan brand was a stroke of marketing genius.


The football is up for debate. They're France's biggest club internationally now for sure which maybe used to be an epithet reserved for Marseille before. I
 
ExoduS said:
What good moments they had? Winning French league and making it to UCL finals? With that much money spent on stars I fail to see "good" moments. They are a failed project thus far. They bought and highly paid unmotivated superstars.
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Yes those are good moments whether you like it or not.
 
As soon as the Qatari take over United, they'll be an afterthought, I don't mean this in a condescending way, it's the nature of things. United is the crown jewel.
 
I wouldnt say failed but it certainly hasnt been a total success either. If you directly compare the results to City, Citys project has been a success (them being cheating shits aside) while PSG havent reached that at all.

They have established themselves as a top European name/destination etc and are pretty much guaranteed success domestically.

But........they havent won the Champions League which is the measuring stick now sadly. Messi having little interest in staying on and the Mbappe fiasco is only harming the perception more as well.

They tried the Galactico approach almost as a last throw of the dice with Messi/Neymar/Mbappe but that has done sod all for them in Europe so they are back to square one again.
 
I would say that they've gone backwards in the last couple of years.

Think it's a bit ridiculous to criticize them for "reaching the CL final just once."
 
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