5 Underrated midfielders you should be keeping an eye on | UEFA Champions League 2019/20

#5 Idrissa Gueye (Paris Saint-Germain)

New signing Idrissa Gueye will increase PSG's stability in the middle of the park

Whenever someone talks about PSG, most of the attention will always be on their enterprising attack. Thomas Tuchel's side comprises of fantastic forwards who have the ability to score goals for fun. However, an aspect that lacks focus is their midfield. While Marco Verratti possesses world-class pedigree, the French outfit didn't seem to have a rigid defensive midfielder to shield the defence. As a result, they seemed to fall behind against physically sound opposition.

As a result, the board went out to sign Everton's Idrissa Gueye for a fee of €27m. The Senegalese midfielder was always impressive for the Toffees but seemed to be underappreciated for all his work. With an average of 4.1 tackles, 2.1 interceptions and 1.6 clearances per game during his time at Goodison Park, Gueye proved to be an immovable force in the middle. He compensates for his lack of involvement in the attack with sturdy and reliable defensive contributions. He handles the opposition's press with ease by holding the ball close to him.

Gueye's addition to the starting XI gives Verratti the license to push upfront regularly. Tuchel's side can now transition from defence to attack without worrying about leaving spaces at the back. Gueye's ball retention capability gives him more opportunities to win fouls when under pressure.

PSG continue to make investments to refurbish their squad but still haven't made it past the quarter-finals of the Champions League. The board will hope to see a much better run this time and challenge for the title after managing to keep Neymar. We must observe that the French outfit has realized that signing world-class forwards alone will not suffice to win the UCL. The appointment of Leonardo as Sporting Director has resulted in smart signings such as Gueye.