Saturday evening, in Clermont (1-6), the absence of a name on the match sheet caused a lot of talk: Xavi Simons. While he was expected on the substitutes’ bench, the young Dutch crack, who appeared in an enlarged group of 22 players, sat in the stands. A little surprise, even if Mauricio Pochettino had recalled on Friday, at a press conference, that there was no lack of elements in the midfield for this meeting.
No physical glitch. It was indeed a choice of the coach who therefore opted for other options off the bench (Michut, Dina Ebimbe). A question of profiles, and states of form at the moment.
Out of contract June 30
The last time Simons had not appeared on a Ligue 1 match sheet was on February 19, 2022, in Nantes (3-1). It was enough, suddenly, to raise questions about the future of the 18-year-old player, at the end of the contract on June 30, and that PSG still hopes to extend.
In the entourage of Xavi Simons, we moderately tasted the choice of Pochettino who has not made him play since his tenure against Rennes two months ago. At the club, however, the discourse has not changed. Paris insists that Simons is part of the future and regrets not having been able to sign him on a longer contract when he arrived in 2019 from Barcelona. Legislation did not allow him to go beyond three years.
The Ile-de-France club reminds us that we have to go in stages and rightly highlights the progress made by Simons this season. In total, he appeared 9 times with the first team (for 3 tenures) and became a boss for the U19s in the Youth League. “We hope that in the future, young people will be able to have more space to show their qualities”, said Pochettino on Friday. Discussions will continue with the former resident of La Masia who is not lacking in solicitations outside the capital. Barcelona are reportedly considering bringing him back.
At the same time, Paris continues to discuss with other young people identified as potential for the first team in the more or less near future. Warren Zaire-Emery, bound aspirant until 2024, is one of them, as is Ismaël Gharbi, who has just celebrated his 18th birthday, and Ayman Kari, 17, at the end of his contract in a few weeks. There, again, PSG is looking for arguments to convince them to stay.
As announced on Sunday, defender Younes El Hannach (born in 2004) will soon sign his first professional contract with the Rouge et Bleu.
