sport news Is PSG target Galtier worth it and can he manage the personalities of Mbappe, ... trends now
Conquering France is simply not enough as far as Paris Saint-Germain are concerned.
The elusive Champions League trophy has remained the top priority in Paris for almost a decade, with Mauricio Pochettino becoming PSG's latest victim last month, despite guiding the club to domestic success.
His predecessors Laurent Blanc, Unai Emery and Thomas Tuchel also exited the French capital as champions of Ligue 1, each having provided contributions to the club's growing trophy cabinet.
Christophe Galtier is the frontrunner to replace Mauricio Pochettino at Paris Saint-Germain
The former PSG manager was sacked by the club last month as part of a hierarchical reshuffle
Although sacked in June, Pochettino effectively sealed his fate four months earlier during the Champions League round of 16, as Karim Benzema's second-half hat-trick buried PSG's European dream once again.
The Parc de Princes chiefs spent an enormous £17 million in compensation to axe Pochettino, a splash of the treasury which must have been done with a replacement in mind.
Now Zinedine Zidane has reportedly dropped out of the running due to a desire to pursue the France job, Christophe Galtier has accelerated into pole position as a new favourite to take the PSG hotseat.
Although a household name in France, Galtier is a relative unknown outside the realms of Ligue 1, following spells at Saint-Etienne, Lille and Nice.
Yet despite his modest managerial portfolio, the 55-year-old head coach has not needed the backing of a European giant to draw out success.
Zinedine Zidane dropped out of the running last week, reportedly interested in the France job
Galtier took Lille from relegation candidates in 2018-19 to Ligue 1 champions two seasons later, retrospectively preventing PSG from winning five domestic titles in five campaigns.
His tactical approach has continued to earn respect at Nice, with former Juventus and two-time Serie A winner Mario Lemina lauding the 'winning culture' Galtier has managed to cultivate at the Allianz Riviera since arriving in 2021.
Nice finished fifth in the division under Galtier last campaign and were rewarded with a qualifying spot in the Europa Conference League.
PSG, however, have demonstrated they are willing to accept nothing less than perfection and Galtier will be expected to control the star-studded list of personalities off the pitch whilst also delivering flawless results consistently.
Galtier marshalled Nice to a fifth place finish in Ligue 1 last season, their best result since 2017
Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Lionel Messi would likely mellow if the allure of a Pep Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp or Carlo Ancelotti steered the PSG squad, but Galtier lacks the same authoritative presence to command respect - at least on the surface.
The French giants threw everything at Mbappe's contract extension last month in a bid to deter him from Real Madrid, offering him a reported €50 million salary, a €100 million signing bonus and - perhaps most importantly - a large say in the club's strategic matters.
Were Galtier next to take the PSG job, he would be thrown into unchartered waters, forced to grapple between the interests of the club and the interests of an individual.
Sportsmail have identified three key factors that could help the Nice boss prosper at the Parc de Princes ahead of his likely appointment.
PSG re-signed star man Kylian Mbappe after he came close to a Real Madrid move last month
Exploiting the flanks
When Galtier took over from Marcelo Bielsa at Lille in December 2017, the French club were in dire straits, entrenched in the relegation zone and incapable of signing players in the January transfer window due to financial fair play concerns.
His tactical set-up was pivotal to turning the tide, and a 2-1 win against Dijon with just once match left of the 2017-18 campaign was enough to earn survival by a single point.
In an effort to adhere to Financial Fair Play, Lille were forced to sell a handful of key players including Yves Bissouma and Ibrahim Amadou to free up funds, hitting the
