Before this month, few people were linking Leandro Paredes with a move to one of Europe’s biggest clubs. The Zenit St Petersburg midfielder was performing excellently for his Russian Premier League side, but a step up seemed far away.
Then the transfer window opened, and the Argentine quickly became one of the most coveted midfield prospects on the continent. Chelsea were linked with a move as they looked to sort out their issues in the middle of the park with Jorginho and N’Golo Kante struggling to fit alongside each other.
There was also speculation of a move to Manchester United, whose previous signing of a midfield distributor wasn’t going well, with Fred so far failing to settle at the club.
Paredes caught the eye elsewhere, and as soon as Paris Saint-Germain lost out on Ajax starlet Frenkie de Jong, they turned their attentions to the Zenit man, landing the 24-year-old’s signature for €40million.
So what exactly are the Ligue 1 and leaders getting? Paredes should slot straight into the Parisians’ midfield, where Julian Draxler and Marquinhos have been deputising for Marco Verratti, who is struggling with injuries this season, and Adrien Rabiot, banished from the first team due to an ongoing contract dispute that looks unlikely to be resolved and result in his departure.
But now that Paredes has arrived, one of Draxler, an attacking midfielder, and Marquinhos, a centre-back should be returned to their more natural position. Meanwhile, the new signing will hope to start showing off his passing range immediately.
One key stat shows exactly why PSG targeted the Argentine. Paredes played more successful long balls than any other player in the Russian Premier League this season, underlining his quality as a distributor.
Leandro Paredes made more successful long balls (114) than any other player in the Russian Premier League before moving to PSG.
— Squawka Football (@Squawka) January 29, 2019
Some serious distribution added to Tuchel’s midfield. 🧭 https://t.co/mrk6JOKpR3
The rest of Ligue 1 – and United, who play PSG in the Champions League next month – have been warned.
