Hugo Ekitike, Carlos Soler, Vitinha… The choices of the summer transfer window did not pay off

“We no longer want flashy, bling-bling, it’s the end of glitter”. The statements of President Nasser Al-Khelaïfi during the induction of Christophe Galtier on the PSG bench last summer caused a stir. A year after the arrival of Lionel Messi, the capital club had decided to conduct a wiser and more targeted transfer window, under the leadership of Luis Campos, officially “football adviser” but unofficially new sporting director.

Failing to succeed in selling his undesirables, the champion of France has freed up space by multiplying the loans. In the other direction, profiles of players supposed to fit into the game plan of the new coach are validated. A total of six new faces have arrived. But, despite a promising start to the season, the 2022-2023 season will remain a failure. Paris was still stuck in the knockout stages of the Champions League and even managed to put itself in danger on the national scene, with a bitter observation one month from the end of its season: none of its recruits has succeeded in making himself indispensable.

Hugo Ekitike, the broken promise

After a big cleaning of the offensive sector (exit Icardi, Sarabia, Draxler, Di Maria), Paris needed to strengthen. For once, the club from the capital has invested in the French market by attracting the hope of Reims, which will also be the only purely offensive element to join the French champions this summer despite Galtier’s ambitions on the transfer window. . The lanky 20-year-old striker had the opportunity to grow alongside the best after an interesting season with 10 goals in 24 games in Ligue 1.

But the nugget fell into a trap. Behind the three stars, Messi, Neymar and Mbappé, it is difficult to have playing time, especially since it was quickly clear that Christophe Galtier would not take the risk of getting angry with them by leaving them too early in the course of match. So, Hugo Ekitike was initially only entitled to a few crumbs during his team’s start to the season. His first goal was long overdue and was only scored in the last match before the World Cup break, on 13 November against Auxerre.

His playing time increased when the Paris season started to go off the rails at the start of 2023. He did not take advantage of it and has not scored since January 11 against Angers. While Neymar was seriously injured in mid-February, freeing up a place in front, Ekitike has not been entitled to any tenure for almost three months. And his rare appearances showed a player quite rough and disconnected from the rest of the team (4 goals in 28 appearances).

Renato Sanches, the subscriber to the infirmary

On paper, the Portuguese had enough to bring the impact he lacked in the Parisian midfield. Technical, powerful and able to make the link between the middle and the attack, the best young player of Euro 2016 found Christophe Galtier, the coach who had helped him to be reborn in Lille. But Renato Sanches also trailed the reputation of a very injury-prone player (10 in three seasons with Losc).

Instead of flying away, the fear materialized very quickly with an injury to the adductors in September. Then, the former Bayern Munich added four more glitches to his busy history: in October, December, February and April. He has already missed 20 games due to various injuries this season. A total which will continue to climb insofar as he is forfeited for the meeting against Troyes on Sunday. He is on the way to completing the 2022-2023 financial year without the slightest feat of arms and without having played the entirety of a single match.

Carlos Soler, the perpetual eclipse

Last addition of the summer transfer window, the Spaniard presented an interesting profile. A midfielder capable of playing in the middle, on the side, a little higher, comfortable on a set piece, Carlos Soler arrived in the shadows and stayed there. But unlike Hugo Ekitike and Renato Sanches, the latter benefited from a significant playing time (34 games including 18 starts).

His versatility mostly gave the impression that he didn’t stand out in any particular sector, as if he was lined up to make the number. Even if he did not hesitate to indulge in defensive tasks, as in the first leg against Bayern Munich, and even if he is the club’s top scorer outside the infernal trio (6 goals), the Spaniard never exceeded his duties and was sorely lacking in character.

Fabian Ruiz hasn’t solved the problems in the middle

It was he who was to bring immediate added value to the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, but his first season in the capital will remain quite bland. Like the other summer recruits, he never took the meeting on his own, giving the impression of accepting his place without ever sounding the charge. His elegance and his ability to regulate the game were very quickly observed, but his team lacked a player capable of verticalizing the game, which he was not able to do.

Doubled by Vitinha, who arrived earlier than him (and whom he failed to dethrone even when the latter was going through a difficult pass), he also failed to make PSG more dangerous on long shots , a field in which he is supposed to excel.

Vitinha, potential but inconstancy

By himself, being the new face of PSG at the start of the season as a cannonball, he had given the impression that the off-season had been managed with a master hand. Mobile and comfortable in small spaces, Vitinha formed an intriguing duo in the middle with Marco Verratti until the end of September. Then he hit the ceiling at the same time when the capital club no longer managed to keep up its frantic pace.

Returning from the break, the Portuguese lost his ability to create the link between midfield and attack. During the defeat in Monaco (1-3), just before the knockout stages of the Champions League against Bayern Munich, he was even taken to task by Neymar in the middle of the match. Vitinha gave the impression of losing his bearings with each upheaval in Christophe Galtier’s tactical system, only showing up intermittently at the end of the season, as during the crucial victory against Lens on April 15 (3-1), with a goal and an assist.

Nordi Mukiele cut in full swing

French international, able to play on the right of defense or in a three-way hinge, used to the Champions League … Nordi Mukiele had everything the right choice and did not indicate the contrary. Not afraid to go to duel (sometimes with a little too much commitment), he was one of PSG’s few character players this season, but it ended abruptly at the same time as the campaign. European team, due to the relapse of a hamstring injury.