Why Should Neymar Leave Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain?
Neymar looks just as he could leave Barcelona for Paris Saint-Germain this mid-year, yet why is he going to swap one of the world's best clubs for a group that completed
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| Will Neymar be leaving Barcelona? |
Following quite a while of theory, Gerard Pique seemed to ease Barcelona fears when he presented a photo next on Neymar with the subtitle, "He Stays".
Was that the last word? Had Pique heard that straightforwardly from Neymar? Not exactly. He has since backtracked, saying: "It's not official. Also, it's not for me to state. It's a sincere belief from the discussion I had with him and my instinct." The transfer saga of the summer rolls on.
With an effort to end the hypothesis, Sky Sports Spanish football master Guillem Balague has said Barcelona asked the 25-year-old to message the club's fans via web-based networking media to make it clear he needs to remain. He has not done that yet and what was once transfer gossip now looks like, turning into a genuine plausibility.
"Doubts, doubts and more doubts" was a current feature in Catalan daily paper Sport, which included: "What truly harms is simply the quiet of the player, which at last says an incredible arrangement."
Role at Barcelona
When you are part of a superstar attacking trio you might expect some sacrifice for the good of the team, but Neymar may feel he is giving up more than his team-mates.
Having hit the 20-goal mark in each of the prior two seasons, he scored just 13 last term. Stationed on the left flank, he was instead tasked with creating chances for Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez, who combined to score 66 goals.
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| Neymar managed to score just 13 goals for Barcelona last season |
He was also asked to track back - unlike Messi - taking on what Balague described as a "selfless role for the team". Are these grounds for complaint? Sky Sports Spanish football expert Terry Gibson does not think so.
"I don't think it was a spectacular season for Neymar last year and maybe one of the reasons Barcelona weren't as successful was because Neymar and Suarez both did not score as many goals as the previous season," he said.
"He can't complain about how he has been treated, where he is playing or his role in the team. For a lot of people playing in that front three is as good as it gets for a young player. He is 25, so he will step out of the shadow of Messi, who is five years older.
Neymar's La Liga stats
2016/17 2015/16 2014/15
Minutes played 2652 3057 2572
Goals 13 24 22
Assists 11 12 7
"Neymar's time will come and I think Barcelona is the best club for him. To take the opportunity to go to PSG, who are not as big historically and don't have the same quality of players, just to be the star man and focus of attention is a strange choice."
Becoming the main man
Although he did not score as many goals last season as in 2015/16, Neymar did step up on several occasions to save Barcelona. That was most famously the case against PSG in the Champions League, when Neymar scored two, won a penalty and picked the pass for Sergi Roberto's remarkable late goal in the 6-1 win.
It was an inspired performance that suggested he could carry a team, even one with Messi in the side. And he was perhaps the only Barca player to emerge with credit from their 3-0 aggregate defeat to Juventus in the semi-final.
Neymar completed 13 dribbles against Juve in the second leg at the Nou Camp - the most in a Champions League game since 2014 - as Messi and Suarez struggled to make an impact in a goalless draw.
Neymar scored a couple of brilliant goals for Barcelona against Juventus
He also impressed when given a larger role in the absence of Messi. Neymar scored three in three games after the Argentine limped off against Atletico Madrid in late September and hit 10 in nine without Messi the season before.
But Messi's place atop the Barcelona hierarchy looks secure, especially after agreeing to a new four-year extension this summer.
If Neymar wants to lead a team and win a Ballon d'Or - like Messi at Barca or Cristiano Ronaldo at Real Madrid - he is unlikely to get the chance at the Nou Camp in the immediate future.
But will his chances improve if he joins PSG? "As long as Messi is still playing and Ronaldo is still knocking in the goals, how will he win it?" asks Gibson.
"PSG would have to win the Champions League and he would have to be the main player, and I would still put PSG quite a way down the list to win the Champions League even with Neymar."
Riches on offer
There are also financial considerations. Neymar signed a new Barca contract last summer but PSG would significantly improve those terms.
L'Equipe most recently claimed he will sign a six-year deal worth £500,000-a-week in Paris, which would represent a large pay rise.
The prestige of the league, his commitment to Barca and the chance for trophies are all valid factors to consider but cold, hard cash is difficult to ignore.
Gibson says: "I know people are saying he wants to step out of the shadow of Messi and be the main man somewhere, but I can only think it's about the money. He could have killed off this speculation a long time ago and now it appears he is waiting to see if PSG can keep within the Financial Fair Play rules to pay what he wants and the buyout."
Many of Neymar's close friends also play at the Parc des Princes. Former Barca right-back Dani Alves has recently signed for the club, while Thiago Silva, Marquinhos and Lucas Moura are his Brazil international team-mates.
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| Dani Alves is a friend of Neymar's and has joined PSG this summer |
On a reunion in the French capital, captain Silva said: "I've heard a lot of journalists talking but at the minute there is nothing concrete. But I think it is important for the PSG project. If he comes, it will be good for the group."
There is also the question of Neymar's popularity at the Nou Camp. A recent poll conducted by Sport found 82 per cent of Barca fans would sell Neymar to PSG.
Marquinhos added: "If he comes he will be an exceptional player and will help us a lot."
PSG forward Edinson Cavani did his best to remain circumspect when asked but he also said: "We are talking about a great player and I think any player would like to play alongside any great player."
Silva 'liked' a mocked-up picture of Neymar wearing a PSG kit while Lucas Moura replied with a 'thinking' emoji when asked on Twitter if he had any news about Neymar coming to PSG.
The 'PSG project'
The Parisian giants, humiliated by their capitulation in the Champions League, also surrendered their domestic crown last season, failing to win Ligue 1 for the first time since 2012.
They salvaged the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue but in the words of club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, it was "a difficult campaign".
Their signings - particularly Hatem Ben Arfa and Jese but also Grzegorz Krychowiak - failed to shine, while they lost their focal point in Zlatan Ibrahimovic. So this summer represents the chance to refresh what Silva refers to as the "PSG project".
He would be a huge loss to Barcelona. I cannot imagine who they would buy to replace him, even with the huge transfer fee Terry Gibson on Neymar's potential departure
"This club has so much ambition," said Julian Draxler, one of last season's success stories after his big-money arrival from Wolfsburg in January.
"They want to win the Champions League with all their might and they do everything to achieve that: new players, a new training ground.
"The club really wants it. I think you can see from the players we have that we are developing into one of the best clubs in Europe - maybe we already are one of them."
This club has so much ambition. They want to win the Champions League with all their might. Julian Draxler on PSG
Could Neymar be tempted to join as the poster boy for a new and improved Paris Saint-Germain? They boast a strong spine in Angel Di Maria, Marco Verratti, Cavani and Silva, but the departure of Ibrahimovic a year ago has the club looking for a figurehead.
That may well be the first task for their new sporting director, Antero Henrique. He made his name unearthing gems like Radamel Falcao, James Rodriguez, Hulk and Jackson Martinez while at Porto but his remit will be very different at PSG.
"My ambition is to work every day to create a winning dynamic able to keep PSG at the highest level in the long term," Henrique said when he joined in June.
A deal for Neymar could be a good place to start.
What do you think? Should Neymar stay at Barcelona or join PSG? Have your say in the comments section below
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