Zaïre-Emery, Dembélé, Chevalier: Deschamps opens up on PSG players

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·15 Mei 2026

Zaïre-Emery, Dembélé, Chevalier: Deschamps opens up on PSG players

At the press conference following the announcement of his squad for the 2026 World Cup, Didier Deschamps spoke at length about several Paris Saint-Germain players. Warren Zaïre-Emery, 20, a PSG midfielder, Ousmane Dembélé, 29, the Parisian forward, and Lucas Chevalier, 24, the club’s goalkeeper, each had a particular place in his remarks.

Deschamps: “Warren can be a 3rd option at right-back”

Zaïre-Emery at right-back? Warren can be a 3rd option at right-back, based on what he has done with PSG. Even if he doesn’t play there all the time.

Deschamps: “With his efficiency and what he does, he will have an important role”

Dembélé’s position? Goalkeeper! (Laughs) He has had to process everything he has been through, the physical issues. It has also been about managing him. In the final stretch, he is there. He’s the Ballon d’Or! With his efficiency and what he does, he will have an important role. His starting position? Yes, he is a centre-forward (with PSG). But he has freedom, like with the France team. In the last match against Bayern, he was on the right. Him, like the others, it is important to have him there, so the spaces are occupied. The technical connection with the other players... Him and PSG, they really punish you!”

Deschamps: “If he hadn’t been injured, he probably would have played”

Chevalier absent? If he hadn’t been injured, he probably would have played. Probably. If he had had playing time, I was hoping so in March… I told him. He hadn’t been playing for several weeks already. Unfortunately, it did not improve,” remarks relayed by RMC Sport.

The message is clear: Deschamps is not only looking at fixed positions, but also at the solutions Paris Saint-Germain can offer the France team. The Zaïre-Emery case is the clearest example. Selected as a midfielder, the Paris academy product is also seen as a credible option on the right, thanks to what he has already shown there at times with Paris.

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This is not a conversion, but rather accepted versatility, useful in a reduced squad. Up front, Dembélé looks like a major X-factor: less confined to a strict position, and instead driven by his freedom, efficiency, and his status as the 2025 Ballon d’Or. By contrast, Chevalier’s absence follows a colder logic: injury, lack of playing time, and an unfavorable sporting assessment.

For PSG, this press conference above all confirms one thing: the Paris project is now directly feeding into Deschamps’ thinking. Between a midfielder capable of filling in at the back, a forward who has become a world reference, and a goalkeeper held back by circumstances, Paris is not simply represented among Les Bleus. It is also serving as a laboratory, with its successes and its adjustments.

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