Paris FC: A closer look at a busy mercato

We take a look at the mercato to date of Paris FC, who have been the division's biggest spenders with just four week to go until Matchday One.

A real statement of intent

The team that's spent the most in the mercato so far? Not Marseille, not Stade Rennais, and not Paris Saint-Germain -- it's Paris FC. With more than €60M in incoming transfers, they've eclipsed the amount spent last summer, with a renewed focus on youth. Whereas last season saw the arrival of experienced heads like Moses Simon, Hamari Traoré and Pierre Lees-Melou, this summer has seen something of a more youthful approach.

Indeed, of their five key arrivals this summer, only the most recent, Lassine Sinayoko, is as old as 26, with rest being between 18 and 23. Having brought in those veteran players last season, the team struggled to gel under Stéphane Gilli and were in the relegation mix until the arrival of Antoine Kombouaré in the winter. This necessary re-think looks ready to pay dividends as well, as rather than going to a mid-level Premier League club, this cadre of young talents is attaching itself to a young and ambitious project.

Building from front to back

Moreover, the five transfers -- in addition to Sinayoko, winger Pablo Pagis (23), defensive midfielder Patrick Zabi (19), defender Diego Coppola (22) and left back Emmanuel Mbemba (19) have all arrived -- represent an overhaul of the team as a whole. 

By doing their business early in the window, and addressing all sectors of the squad save goalkeeper, PFC's ambitions are clear -- they want to give new manager Liam Rosenior plenty of time to work with these players and develop a sea change in terms of style, allowing them to push the teams that finished above them.

A new face on the bench

With that youthful thrust to the team, the club have also moved to bring in one of the top names at developing young talent while playing attractive, modern football. While Rosenior's tenure at RC Strasbourg wasn't all smooth sailing, he not only achieved that, he also showed himself to be a canny operator when it came to man-management. 

With the likes of Andrey Santos, Valentín Barco and Diego Moreira all coming on leaps and bounds under his stewardship, his proven track record and skillset underscores the club's ambitions. Taking in the league as a whole, with Lens and Lille both undergoing serious player churn, and Marseille and Lyon financially hamstrung, there is a real opportunity for the team to build on the good form it showed under Kombouaré and further climb the table.

Read more:

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>> Pablo Pagis: The next talent to emerge from Stade Rennais?