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Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) are preparing to face Maccabi Haifa at the Sammy Ofer Stadium on Wednesday (September 14) in the UEFA Champions League. New manager Christophe Galtier picked up all three points against Juventus in the campaign opener in midweek.
Meanwhile, former Monaco chief Vadim Vasilyev says that Kylian Mbappe made the right decision by rejecting Real Madrid this summer. Elsewhere, Chelsea face a major hurdle in their efforts to take Parisians sporting director Luis Campos to Stamford Bridge.
On that note, here's a look at the major PSG transfer stories as on September 12, 2022:
Former Monaco chief says Kylian Mbappe right to reject Real Madrid
Former Monaco chief Vadim Vasilyev has said that Kylian Mbappe was correct in snubbing a move to Real Madrid this summer.
The La Liga giants were hot on the heels of the Frenchman for quite a while, and a deal was very close to completion this summer. However, Mbappe had a change of heart in the eleventh hour and ended up signing a new contract with PSG.
Speaking to Telefoot, as cited by PSG Talk, Vasilyev has backed Mbappe to create history at the Parc des Princes.
“By staying here in Paris, the conditions are met. There is something happening: the squad, the sports management, the coach, everyone is working together. (…) There, he can be part of the history of the club, but also in the world history of football,” Vasilyev said.
Mbappe has enjoyed a strong start to the new campaign, registering nine goals from seven games across competitions.
Chelsea face hurdle in quest to take Luis Campos to Stamford Bridge
Chelsea have a major hurdle in their pursuit of Luis Campos. According to journalist Ben Jacobs, there’s a clause in the Portuguese’s PSG contract that prevents him from working for another big club in parallel.
Campos works with the French champions as well as Celta Vigo but is restricted from engaging with a big club under his current arrangement with the Parisians.
The Blues are looking for a new sporting director and are eager to take Campos to Stamford Bridge. New co-owner Todd Boehly has held talks with the Portuguese to facilitate a move. However, Campos will have to pay the Parisians if he wants to end his contract and join the Premier League giants.
Christophe Galtier opens up on PSG's tough second half against Brest
Christophe Galtier believes PSG suffered due to technical mistakes in the second half of the game against Brest on Saturday. The Ligue 1 giants won 1-0 but were made to toil on the day.
Speaking after the win, Galtier said that the Parisians lacked movement and mobility after the break, making it a close game.
“It was much tougher in the second half, which was very different to the first half. Our team was split in two, and we made a lot of technical mistakes up front, in midfield and even at the back. That gave Brest a lot of hope because there was only a one-goal lead. Obviously when the opponents are only one goal behind in Paris, they’re going to believe,” said Galtier.
He added:
“We lacked movement and mobility probably due to fatigue and maybe nerves, even though nerves come from fatigue. It forced me make changes that I would have liked to make earlier. I had to make them to try and give the team more balance and preserve those who have played a lot.”
Galtier also admitted that PSG were lucky that Gianluigi Donnarumma saved a penalty to preserve the win.
“I’m thinking of the forwards and the midfielders of course. Luckily Gigio made the decisive save from the penalty. I don’t know whether it was a foul or not I didn’t see, but the referee blew for it. He (Donnarumam) made that save that gave us the three points in a match where the two halves were very different,” said Galtier.
The Parisians remain atop the Ligue 1 table after seven games.
