Kylian Mbappé’s last contract extension with PSG was worth over €200m, having signed him for up to €180m in the first place. Randal Kolo Muani cost the club €90m last summer, once add-ons are factored in. Gonçalo Ramos, having turned his loan deal into a permanent one this winter, will cost another €80m all in. And Ousmane Dembélé also joined in 2023, costing another €50m in initial outlay, on top of big salaries for all involved.
The expenses show no signs of slowing at Parc des Princes, but the stand-out among the pack might not even be on that list.
Instead, it’s Bradley Barcola: at €45m the cheapest of the lot, the youngest of the lot, and potentially the most exciting of the lot. Certainly on the evidence of recent performances, he might hold the key to the door of success for PSG in the post-Mbappe era.
Having joined from Lyon last summer, the 21-year-old has been gradually introduced to the lineup by Luis Enrique, mostly seeing appearances off the bench until near Christmas – but he has been a regular first XI player since then. All told, he has more Ligue 1 minutes to his name than fellow attackers Ramos, Muani, Marco Asensio or Lee Kang-in and, importantly, better output than most.
His four league assists this term is bettered only in the squad by first-choice winger Dembélé, who has seven, and around 300 minutes more game time. Add two goals to the mix for Barcola and he has the same goals plus assists league tally as Asensio, one more than Ramos, only two fewer than Muani – who tends to play centre-forward more often than not.
It’s not to say the numbers all stack up in Barcola’s favour, of course. As the least experienced of the collective, it’s clear from watching him that decision-making is still a quality which can improve plenty, as can his finishing. He has an 11% conversion rate which is lower than all of PSG’s attacking options other than Lee (7%) and Dembélé (3%), has so far slightly undershot his xG/90 of 0.2 and, notably, has spurned some decent chances at potential match-turning moments. There’s also an overreliance on his speed at this point, which is perhaps valid considering how rapid he is.
But he has also created seven big chances (second in the squad), averages 1.9 chances created per 90 (joint-second) and 3.1 dribbles per 90 (second), with more than a 50% success rate there.
For a young player to be having such a consistent impact among that calibre of teammates, and to be rightfully earning a starting spot, is both an impressive expression of his own talents and also, perhaps, an indictment of the lack of impact from the likes of Muani.
Perhaps most tellingly of all is that Luis Enrique has even turned to Barcola now that the European campaign has resumed. He started the last-16 first leg encounter against Real Sociedad, serving notice with one lightning burst past a defender but seeing the goalkeeper deny him a shot by rushing out – before doing the same exact thing with a better outcome: a fleet-footed finish for his first Champions League goal in a 2-0 win.
The speed is lightning, the willingness to run at players insatiable. Stop us if you’ve heard this before about young, French, wide forwards at Paris Saint-Germain. There’s no point or need to compare directly to Mbappé, of course, most particularly because the World Cup finalist is on the move come the summer. He won’t be a teammate of Barcola’s at club level, but senior international caps surely won’t be far off.
More poignantly for PSG, Barcola gives evidence that all is not lost when Mbappé does head off, that the style of play doesn’t necessarily need to be altered in attack. And, perhaps, that his additional work rate and ability to win the ball back – he’s top among attackers across the board for that too, by the way, with 0.8 interceptions per 90, 0.8 final third possessions won per 90 and 1.1 tackles won per 90 – can finally be the start of a new team culture that the Parisians have obviously missed.
PSG have never, since the spending began, lacked for attacking talent or for youthful promise. The issue in terms of continental success has always been in not being enough of a team, as opposed to a flamboyant front line, and then the rest.
Barcola may just be the one who can finally begin to bridge that gap, one who can build on his undoubted technical quality, continue to progress as a player – but also, finally, be part of a collective. There are aspects of his game which must improve, but in Bradley Barcola, PSG already have proof that the end of Mbappé is not the end of their pursuit of perfection.
(Image from IMAGO)
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