This article is part of Football FanCast’s Opinion series, which provides analysis, insight and opinion on any issue within the beautiful game, from Paul Pogba’s haircuts to League Two relegation battles…
It has been a fantastic year for Sadio Mane.
The Liverpool winger has really put himself on the map with his performances over the past 12 months or so. Last term, he finished as the joint-top scorer in the Premier League along with Mohamed Salah and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang. He also added four goals in the Champions League – a tournament which the Reds triumphed in – taking his season tally to 26. On top of that, he helped his country Senegal reach the African Cup of Nations final, and he is now leading the charge as the Anfield outfit look to win their first title in 30 years – the 27-year-old already has nine goals and six assists to his name this term.
It is not that surprising, therefore, to here that he is a transfer target for PSG (France Football via Get French Football News). According to them, the Ligue 1 outfit would like to sign the former Southampton man if Neymar leaves the club.
From the French club’s point of view, it would be indicate a change of direction. The Brazil international is a fantastically skilled player, but he is sometimes accused of arrogance, and his defensive contribution is almost non-existent – he has just 0.5 tackles per match this season. Mane, meanwhile, has 1.6, and he also does not possess the cockiness of the former Barcelona forward. The report even adds that PSG’s hierarchy believes he perfectly counters the Olympic Gold medallist’s weaker attributes.
From £108m-valued Mane’s point of view – as per Transfermarkt – though, it would make no sense for him to leave Anfield. The Reds are arguably the best team in the world right now – they are the current European champions and have not lost in the Premier League in 34 matches. PSG, meanwhile, are only five points clear in what is a weak Ligue 1 and, although they have topped their Champions League group this time around, they have failed to make it past the quarter-finals of the competition this decade.
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We probably wouldn’t have said this three or four years ago, but a move to PSG would actually now be a downgrade for Mane. In fact, it is hard to think which destination would be an upgrade at this current point in time. The Parisians may be able to offer him a higher wage packet, but that does not appear to be something the player himself is overly interested in. It would therefore be madness for him to swap Merseyside for Paris.
Meanwhile, Jurgen Klopp would struggle in one particular job, says Paul Merson.
