Nasser Al-Khelaifi confirmed that the Real Madrid legend will not succeed Mauricio Pochettino
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Zinedine Zidane will not replace Mauricio Pochettino as Paris Saint Germain head coach, the club’s president has confirmed.
The France and Real Madrid icon has been strongly linked to the role at the Parc des Princes for almost a fortnight, with some reports claiming that he had headed to Doha to sign his contract with the Qatari-backed giants.
Zidane’s representative Alain Migliaccio denied there had been contact between the two parties, and on Tuesday to Le Parisien, Qatari Sports Investments chairman and PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi ended the speculation with a new candidate having emerged.
“We have chosen another option than Zidane,” confirmed Al-Khelaifi, adding: “We’ve chosen a coach who will be the best for what we want to put in place.”
This is believed to be Christophe Galtier, and on whether PSG’s fans will be disappointed to have the Nice manager and not Zidane, Al-Khelaifi said: “The dream is one thing, the reality another.”
“Dreaming big is good but today, we must above all be realistic. We no longer want flashy, bling-bling. It’s the end of glitter. We want reality,” he finished.
Zinedine Zidane will NOT be new PSG manager, confirmed. Al-Khelaifi now announces: “We have decided for an other option as new manager – the best option for our tactical idea”, tells Le Parisien. 🚨🇫🇷 #PSGThe new manager will be Christophe Galtier, work in progress. pic.twitter.com/CHYeylR24Q
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) June 21, 2022
The news will come as a relief to Real Madrid supporters who had warned that Zidane’s legacy as a player and manager at their club would be tainted by assuming the PSG hotseat.
The Los Blancos’ faithful have been incensed by Kylian Mbappe not joining them on a free transfer and instead choosing to extend terms with the French champions until 2025. Due to this, Zidane snubbing them can therefore be considered a minor victory and form of revenge.
Upon the 2018 World Cup winner signing his new deal, it was said that Kylian Mbappe was handed carte blanche with his club to decide on who stays and goes.
The exit of sporting director Leonardo and appointment of Luis Castro, who Mbappe knows from his Monaco days, has been taken as evidence of this development.
But Pochettino is still yet to be given his official marching papers amid claims that he and PSG have already decided to part ways in private.
