It is a mark of Paris Saint-Germain’s strength that when Zlatan Ibrahimovic was asked this week over the prospect of Angel Di Maria moving from Real Madrid to the Parc des Prince he expressed apathy mixed with a degree of opposition.
Such a reaction two years ago would have been unthinkable, but PSG have been dramatically transformed since then and are now the primary power in French football. Which is the least you should expect from €330m (Dh1.6bn) of investment over the last 24 months in a league whose teams average around €11m (Dh54m) each in transfer spending per season.
But PSG have become arguably Europe’s first bona fide Champions League team, in the sense progress in Europe is the foremost priority because their utter dominance in terms of ability over the rest of the league means a third-straight title is more than likely.
Last season, Laurent Blanc’s side won the league by a margin of nine points, three less than the previous season but despite signs runners-up Monaco could be capable of closing the gap with another summer of spending behind them, this season looks firmly a one-horse race.
Di Maria has still not arrived in the French capital and, despite president Nasser Al-Khelaifi’s incredulity over Financial Fair Play, PSG’s spending has been slightly more conservative than previous summers.
David Luiz has signed for a rather inflated €50m (Dh245.8m), essentially replacing AC Milan-bound Alex, but the standout addition has been that of Serge Aurier. The Ivorian will give Gregory van der Wiel competition for right-back and PSG’s one ‘weak’ area, the defence, has been reinforced.
That has coincided, of course, with the significant weakening of a Monaco team that has not only lost its manager, Claudio Ranieri, but its creative hub in James Rodriguez. If striker Radamel Falcao is to follow, unless there is a real superstar acquisition to come in, it is highly unlikely Les Rouges et Blancs will emulate last season’s points haul of 80 – especially with Champions League football to contend with.
It is noticeable that Monaco spent €140m (Dh688m) last summer in their first season back in the top flight but, with European football now returning to the Stade Louis II and the belief they could launch a more sustained challenge to PSG, this time it has been a significantly more modest €21m (Dh103m), even with the €80m (Dh393m) sale of James to Madrid.
What that does mean, if you take PSG out of the equation, the battle for second and third in France should represent a far more engrossing contest.
Marseille under Marcelo Bielsa will go one of two ways, boom or bust, but early signs from pre-season suggest the Argentine is already working his magic at the Velodrome. Lille have invested sensibly once again and have compensated for the sale of teenage striker Divok Origi by signing him back on loan from Liverpool.
Unfancied Saint-Etienne should once again pressure the elite, while Rhone rivals Lyon have a new man in charge in Hubert Fournier – the man behind Reims’ revival – and their pool of young talent will be a year older and wiser.
Of the promoted sides, Lens, Caen and Metz all return to the top flight but don’t expect either of them to ‘do a Monaco.’ Survival is their only goal.