Mauricio Pochettino's PSG are assembling one of the best squads in Europe for Champions League bid

It may still be too early to judge Mauricio Pochettino’s time at Paris Saint-Germain but the Argentine coach will never have a better squad to win the Champions League than this one. 

Pochettino’s first six months with the French giants were a topsy-turvy affair – despite winning the French Cup, PSG failed to usurp Lille at the top of Ligue 1 while they self-combusted in the semi-finals of the Champions League to Manchester City in explosive fashion.

The defeat to City provoked memories of when Pochettino’s Tottenham fell apart against Chelsea on the night they lost the 2016 Premier League title race to Leicester, but this time the 49-year-old is addressing this squad issue by bringing in world-class talent. 

PSG are reportedly close to completing the double signing of free agent Sergio Ramos and goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma. Inter Milan right back Achraf Hakimi added to Georginio Wijnaldum’s arrival from Liverpool when he was confirmed on Tuesday evening.

Not only is Pochettino addressing the spine of PSG’s squad, he is bringing in trophy-winning talent that will not explode into a rage in the way his current crop did against City in their European semi-final match-up. 

The French giants’ squad is undoubtedly talented with the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Marco Verratti at their disposal but there is a distinct shortage of Champions League winners in their squad. 

Only Keylor Navas, Angel Di Maria and Neymar have lifted club football’s biggest prize, with all of them playing key roles in PSG’s run to the semi-finals last season.

But when the pressure in both the Champions League and the Ligue 1 title race was taken up a notch, the current crop of players crumbled. 

The additions of Ramos, Hakimi and Wijnaldum as European champions in recent years will help fix that problem and raise their chances of finally ending their Champions League drought. 

Meanwhile, despite the success Navas had between the sticks last season, PSG will be getting a vocal figure in goal next season with Donnarumma – whose leadership qualities have been noted by many at AC Milan this season. 

This will add to characters such as club captain Marquinhos, who has stepped up in key moments for the French side in recent years, while Verratti and Danilo Pereira will offer steel in midfield following good performances at Euro 2020. 

Up front, Brazilian forward Neymar is set to be the talisman to build around after signing a new contract until 2025 with the French giants – but question marks still lie in the case of his strike partner Mbappe. 

The French forward, who suffered a dismal Euro 2020 which saw him fail to score a goal and miss the decisive penalty which eliminated France, has just one-year left to run on his contract and he has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid.

His difficult summer with France could spark the end of his time with PSG, with L’Equipe reporting last week that current indications point towards Mbappe walking away from the Ligue 1 giants, and that he may not be fully satisfied with the situation there.

PSG must hang onto the 22-year-old at all costs this summer, even if they risk losing the player on a free transfer in 2022. 

Neymar and Mbappe’s relationship up front is still strong, while the likes of Di Maria and Pablo Sarabia are excellent back-up options for the French side when Pochettino needs to rotate. 

Earlier indications this summer claimed Pochettino may not be completely satisfied at PSG following Tottenham’s approach for their former boss before they went and appointed Nuno Espirito Santo. 

But both Mbappe and Pochettino should realise that with this squad available at the French side, they will probably never get a better chance of winning the Champions League in their careers.