The handshake is frank, the gaze is straight and the crooked smile does not hide the pleasure of Gérard Prêcheur to find himself face to face with the press. It has been more than four years since one of the most important CVs in French women’s football has not found itself facing French journalists. After a year’s experience in China in 2018-19 (Jiangsu Suning FC), Gérard Prêcheur patiently waited for a project that suited him. Already last season her name appeared to take charge of the women’s section of PSG. A year later and following the departure of Didier Ollé-Nicolle, the man who won two Champions Leagues with Lyon has agreed to join Paris for a one-year contract + a one-year extension option.
In the exchange with some journalists at the edge of the training ground of Bougival (78), Gérard Prêcheur, recognized that there was “something to rebuild and that makes the challenge even more exciting”.
“Can we say no to a proposal from PSG?”
What prompted you to accept this Parisian project? “Already at first, we always ask ourselves the question: “Can we say no to a proposal from PSG?” The answer is no and in addition, I wanted to say yes. So all the lights were on green to effectively respond favorably to a club as prestigious as Paris Saint-Germain.”
This group, this PSG team had a turbulent season last year, at no time did you hesitate? “No. In any case, I actually felt that the club and especially the team had to go through a difficult year. That hasn’t stopped them from performing at certain times of the season either. And then, it also makes the challenge even more exciting. To be able to say to yourself that there is something to rebuild, this notion of starting over with a new challenge, of starting from scratch in a way, it is very exciting, very interesting.
What are the objectives that have been set for you by the new sports management? PSG also remains on two consecutive seasons with a trophy won, which had never happened in its history. “When you join a club like PSG, it’s with ambitions. You have just said that two years with a title is good, it means that PSG is on a positive path, with increasing development. It’s perfect. It corresponds well to my state of mind, as a competitor, who likes competition, who likes to win. Ambitions, we have them. We will wait a little longer to see the evolution concerning the workforce. See how it will evolve.”
Are you expecting recruits? “We know that there are injured players, that there have been departures. You know them as well as I do. I exchange very regularly with the sports management. This is not part of my prerogatives. The management made up of Angelo Castellazzi and Sabrina Delannoy (respectively sports director and assistant sports director) takes care of it. I communicate with them almost on a daily basis, things are going very well. I was talking about the staff earlier, it’s the same, it’s going very well. I really trust everything they do. It is not idle to restart the season with the most efficient workforce precisely to be able to meet the ambitions of the club and ours.”
We have the impression that PSG are behind their competitors on the transfer market … “Indeed. In the majority of competing clubs, the workforce is fixed. We, it is still under construction, evolving. So it may be a little more difficult to recruit players at the end of July or beginning of August than in the spring or in June. The situation is as it is at PSG. We adapt to it without any difficulty. It’s a coach’s job to adapt. And I reiterate all the confidence I have in the sports management so that we can effectively have a workforce capable of meeting the club’s ambitions.”
The Hamraoui case opened
In this interview, Gérard Prêcheur mentioned the Kheira Hamraoui file. He promises to study the “compatibility” from the midfield with his “directions” for the female section. The former coach of Olympique Lyonnais (2014-2017), hired until June 2023 with an optional additional season, explained that he considered Hamraoui, under contract until 2023, “in the same configurations as the other players”. The former Barcelona player, dismissed from the professional group at the end of last season after an altercation in training, has resumed collective sessions. “You will be informed quickly of the decisions we will take”said the coach. “Each player, whether Kheira or another, must be able to integrate perfectly into the orientations of the collective“.
The first official meeting of the women’s PSG is scheduled for August 28 in Dunkirk, for the Champions Trophy against Lyon.
With AFP and Culture PSG