Could Luis Enrique really leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer? The treble winners’ surprisingly poor form suggests all is not well at Parc des Princes.
While effectively ruling himself out of the running to take over at Real Madrid, Jürgen Klopp pointed out that “the coaching market is being reshuffled” right now — because Xabi Alonso isn’t the only manager to lose his job at an elite European club since the turn of the year. On January 1, less than six months after lifting the Club World Cup, Enzo Maresca was fired by Chelsea after publicly criticizing his employers. Just four days later, Manchester United also got rid of Ruben Amorim for speaking out of turn.
And while Chelsea have since promoted company man Liam Rosenior from their B team (Strasbourg) to the senior side, their Premier League counterparts have only installed Michael Carrick on an interim basis until the end of the season, leading to all sorts of speculation over who might eventually succeed Amorim as the permanent manager at Old Trafford this summer.
When one considers that Arne Slot remains under intense pressure at Liverpool and that rumors are rife that Pep Guardiola might step down at Manchester City before the expiration of a contract that runs until 2027, it’s easy to understand why Klopp is quite enjoying the managerial merry-go-round from “an observer’s perspective.”
The remarkable thing is, though, that the situation might be about to get even more interesting amid unsubstantiated claims that Luis Enrique is eyeing up one of the top jobs in England. But could the Spaniard really be considering quitting Paris Saint-Germain, the club he led to European glory next season? Or is he still solely focused on building a dynasty at the Parc des Princes?
‘Strive to get better’
PSG’s historic rout of Inter in last season’s Champions League final was the culmination of a project that had begun back in 2012 when Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) took control of the club.
“I slept with the cup yesterday,” PSG president and QSI chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi said the morning after the night before. “I told myself that maybe it was a dream and when I woke up I said to myself, ‘No, it’s true!'”
However, while it understandably felt like a truly unbelievable end of an odyssey for PSG, the nature of the victory in Munich suggested that Europe might also be witnessing the start of a new era of dominance. After all, PSG hadn’t just beaten Inter, they had destroyed them – and with a starting line-up boasting an average age of just 25 years old.
“We have a lot of young players — players who need to develop, and I’m one of them,” Desire Doue pointed out after becoming the first teenager to ever score twice in the final. “We are always going to strive to get better.”
It was a terrifying thought for the rest of Europe — because, with Luis Enrique leading them, PSG’s prodigies appeared to have every chance of realizing their full potential.
‘Changed everything at PSG’
It’s arguably impossible to exaggerate the enormity of the impact Luis Enrique made at PSG after replacing Christophe Galtier as coach in the summer of 2023. He is, as Achraf Hakimi described him, “the man who changed everything” at the club – and to such an extent that the right-back says Luis Enrique altered the way in which the players viewed the game.
However, while also describing the former Spain coach as a tactical “genius” with a meticulous eye for detail who has helped him become “a more complete player”, Hakimi has repeatedly hailed the former Barcelona boss’ qualities as a man — and he’s not alone in that regard.
“It’s a pleasure to work with him,” Doue said in Munich. “Tactically and mentally, he’s an unbelievable coach — but he’s also an unbelievable human being.” Indeed, Vitinha says that Luis Enrique’s greatest gift is being able to communicate with players in a meaningful and “natural” way.
Dip in intensity
Such testimonies help explain why PSG’s players are willing to run through walls for their manager, and also able to drive opponents to the point of distraction with their relentless pressing. There’s no denying, though, that PSG aren’t producing their usual levels of intensity or efficacy so far this season — which is why they find themselves in the very unusual position of second place in Ligue 1.
Of course, the reigning champions are still only one point behind surprise leaders Lens, so it would be a major shock if they do not go on to win the title quite comfortably, given the massive gulf in quality and strength in depth. Whether they can retain their continental crown is very much open to debate, though.
PSG were at their brilliant best when coming from behind to beat Barcelona back in October, but they were subsequently played off the pitch by Bayern Munich before Luis Diaz’s sending off just before the break in the Bavarians’ fully deserved 2-1 win at Parc des Princes on November 4.
We’ve also occasionally seen a formidable forward line struggle to find a way through deep-lying defences in recent weeks, most notably in Monday’s shock 1-0 loss at home to city rivals Paris FC in the Coupe de France round of 32.
‘Different kind of season’
Luis Enrique argued that it would be a mistake to read too much into the derby defeat.
“I think it’s a very easy game to analyze,” the Spaniard said. “It was a very complete performance: we played very well, we worked hard and we dominated the game, so I don’t see any problem with the match. Obviously, you have to score goals and we didn’t score, but that’s football. I’m very satisfied with what I saw collectively and individually. The result is unfair but we have to accept it.
“Maybe [it is a warning] however we had been very superior all through, so it is a unusual consequence.”
On the similar time, Luis Enrique has admitted that this has been “a special sort of season” for PSG – one during which he is needed to rely extra closely on PSG’s plethora of promising academy merchandise due to a spate of accidents to his established stars.
“I am unable to bear in mind a single match with the entire squad match,” the coach stated again in November – and it is clear that collaborating in seven completely different competitions in 2025 (six of which they gained) has taken a heavy toll on the squad. It was additionally inevitable that the shortage of a correct pre-season program attributable to reaching the ultimate of the Membership World Cup would finally meet up with them.
‘Particular particular person’
There’s additionally a reliable worry that PSG are as drained mentally as they’re bodily. For instance, veteran captain Marquinhos spoke overtly about going by way of “12 years of hardship and struggling” earlier than lastly getting his fingers on the Champions League trophy – so a slight drop off in depth would not simply be attainable, it might even be totally comprehensible.
There’s additionally the truth that Luis Enrique is an extremely demanding coach — simply ask Kylian Mbappe — and it is no coincidence that he is by no means spent greater than three years within the one job. There’s each likelihood, then, that he would possibly really feel that it is time to take a look at himself within the Premier League, having already labored in La Liga and Serie A earlier than arriving in Ligue 1.
He is unquestionably the sort of character that United want to revive order at Previous Trafford, whereas it isn’t in in the slightest degree stunning to listen to him being touted as a attainable successor for Slot at Anfield, or Guardiola on the Etihad. He is definitely held within the highest esteem in England, the place pundits had been lining as much as sing his praises after watching his striker-less PSG facet dismantle Inter’s famend protection on the Allianz Area.
“Does Luis Enrique need to be talked about in the identical breath as Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola? The reply is sure,” Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard stated on TNT Sports activities. “This staff he has created and put collectively over the previous yr or two can beat you in any given means. The expertise throughout this squad — it’s a particular group of gamers, however they’re getting coached by a particular particular person as properly.”
Bond with gamers and followers
Whether or not Luis Enrique would actually wish to stroll away from the PSG venture when his contract expires this summer time is very debatable — and never simply because he is carried out an impressive job alongside sporting director Luis Campos in altering the main target of the venture from signing superstars to growing them. By his personal admission, he has developed a “very robust connection” with each his gamers and the membership’s followers, who so memorably unveiled a tifo in honor of his daughter Xana, who handed away on the age of 9 in 2019, shortly after the full-time whistle in Munich.
“I all the time take into consideration Xana, however it was very emotional on the finish with the banner,” Luis Enrique stated. “Our followers had been our twelfth man on the pitch and the good staff we’ve got displays the supporters.
“On my first day at PSG, when my French was even worse than it’s now, I stated my final purpose was to fill the trophy cupboard. The one trophy that was lacking was the Champions League, and right here we’re.”
If successful one European Cup was sufficient for Luis Enrique, although, he would have walked away final summer time. He clearly desires extra. His acknowledged goal is “to proceed making an attempt to beat the footballing world” – and that is a purpose he shares with Al-Khelaifi & Co., which is why the current experiences that PSG try to tie him right down to a ‘life-time’ deal seem way more believable than these claiming he is already determined towards extending his keep at Parc des Princes past the summer time.
As Luis Enrique stated himself simply this week, “There are all the time rumors all the time going round PSG, numerous faux information. They’re making an attempt to destabilize the gamers and the staff, however it’s not going to occur.”
So, whereas the teaching market is being reshuffled, Luis Enrique nonetheless appears completely proud of the hand he is been dealt within the French capital — which is unhealthy information for not solely PSG’s Champions League rivals, but in addition these golf equipment hoping to rent their beloved coach.
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