Editorial – transfers, rivals, injuries: how PSG can stay kings of Europe | OneFootball

As reigning back-to-back European champions, Paris Saint-Germain head into the 2026/2027 season facing an almost unprecedented challenge: continuing to improve after having already won everything. Between Gonçalo Ramos’s departure, the expected arrival of Lucas Digne, attacking targets, and a squad balance that needs adjusting, Paris must renew itself without breaking its remarkable machine.

After two triumphs, PSG are entering a new dimension.

Winning again, a challenge that is more mental than tactical.

In two years, PSG have reached a new level. The first title, sealed by a 5-0 rout of Inter Milan in 2025, rewarded a team that had become unstoppable. The second, won on penalties against Arsenal in 2026, revealed something else: the ability to win without always dominating. Eleventh in the league phase and forced into a hard-fought playoff against Monaco, Paris then swept aside Chelsea and Liverpool before surviving a wild semifinal against Bayern.

That difference is crucial. Luis Enrique’s squad now know how to impose their football, but also how to suffer, doubt, and bounce back. To target a third straight title, they must above all avoid seeing that resilience as a guarantee. Hunger, daily intensity, and accepting competition will be the first major issues of the summer.

Refreshing the squad without breaking its balance.

A precise transfer window, not a revolution.

Gonçalo Ramos’s permanent departure to AC Milan takes away PSG’s most natural center-forward. It also frees up a spot and resources to reshape the attack. Maghnes Akliouche would bring creativity between the lines, quality in the final pass, and real control in tight spaces. Yan Diomandé would offer more directness, pace, and the ability to unbalance defenses. These profiles do not answer exactly the same need and could even complement each other.

The temptation would be to stockpile talent. That would be a mistake. With Dembélé, Doué, Kvaratskhelia, Barcola, Mbaye, and Mayulu, Paris already possess considerable attacking depth. Every arrival must add a new tactical option, not simply another name. Signing a center-forward is not necessarily required if Luis Enrique wants to keep a fluid system, but the squad must still retain a solution capable of pinning back a low block and making an impact in the box when play gets stuck.

Lucas Digne, a backup who could reshape several roles.

The expected arrival of Lucas Digne addresses one of the visible weaknesses of last season: the lack of a real alternative to Nuno Mendes. The Portuguese remains unmatched in his role, but his absences forced Luis Enrique to move players around and weaken other areas. Digne would not be coming in to overturn the hierarchy, but to maintain a high technical level, bring experience, and allow for more natural rotation.

His signing would have a domino effect. Lucas Hernandez could move permanently back into the center, while Lucas Beraldo could be used more regularly in midfield. Paris would therefore strengthen three areas with a single arrival. That is exactly the kind of smart move a squad that is already champion needs.

Competition is essential at every level.

Competition must protect the key players, not make them comfortable.

The many injuries of 2025/2026 were a reminder that an exceptional starting eleven is not enough. Hakimi, Nuno Mendes, Dembélé, Doué, or Kvaratskhelia cannot get through every competition at full intensity. Doubling up in every position is necessary, but with players capable of becoming starters without causing a permanent war over status.

That also applies to the long-standing leaders. Marquinhos, Fabian Ruiz, and even the members of the attacking trio must feel that performances decide. The danger, after two titles, would be to confuse continuity with comfort. Luis Enrique will have to preserve his strongest principle: no one plays on name value alone.

Chevalier-Safonov, back to square one.

Lucas Chevalier had been signed to become the new number one, but his first season in Paris was held back by mistakes, injuries, and Matvey Safonov’s progress. The Russian gained ground to the point of changing the hierarchy. Making Chevalier a simple number two as early as July would be premature; automatically handing him back the gloves would be just as much so.

The healthiest solution is to open up the competition for real. Chevalier still has the distribution skills and the potential to establish himself in Luis Enrique’s project. Safonov, for his part, has earned more than a stopgap role. The goalkeeper position must be decided by form, reliability, and influence on the team. Clear competition is better than a vague rotation, especially when the knockout matches arrive.

Evolving the game to remain unpredictable.

Becoming unpredictable again when everyone studies Paris.

After two titles, every opponent will prepare for their match as if it were a final. Build-up patterns, attacking rotations, Vitinha’s role, and the full-backs’ forward runs will all be dissected. Paris will not be able to settle for simply executing the same sequences even better.

The evolution can come from several directions: a back three in possession, Beraldo in midfield, Akliouche in a hybrid role, Doué in a more central position, a winger capable of constantly attacking in behind, or an occasional aerial threat. The goal is not to change identity every week, but to offer several answers while keeping the same principles.

Physical management, the true priority of the season.

The schedule of the last two years has been enormous, and most of the internationals are also coming off a World Cup. Regeneration therefore will not come only through the transfer window. Individualized rest, planned rotation, and integrating young players will have to matter just as much as the big matches. Paris will need to accept sometimes losing a little immediate quality in order to avoid losing their best players in the spring.

Luis Enrique’s real challenge will be keeping everyone involved without exhausting his core group. The substitutes must play before it becomes urgent, not only when the treatment room is overflowing. It is in managing those ordinary months that a third extraordinary European campaign can be built.

Evolving without forgetting what made Paris champions.

PSG do not need to reinvent themselves completely. Their collective pressing, mobility, technical control, and lack of dependence on a single star remain their greatest strengths. But European history shows just how much a third consecutive triumph requires more than just a superior squad.

Paris will have to preserve their hunger, spread the minutes more effectively, sort out the competition in goal, and recruit profiles capable of opening up new paths. The best transfer window will not necessarily be the most spectacular. It will be the one that allows the European champions to remain themselves while becoming, once again, hard to recognize.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇫🇷 here.