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France legend Emmanuel Petit has jumped to Neymar’s defense after former Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) man Jerome Rothen accused the Brazilian of destabilizing the club. Petit claimed that the club’s president Nasser Al-Khelaifi and sporting director Luis Campos were responsible for the Parisian club’s poor results.
The French media has regularly criticized PSG ace Neymar for his lack of dedication and careless lifestyle. The Brazilian superstar, who sealed a €222 million transfer from Barcelona in 2017, has also missed numerous matches due to injuries, frustrating his employers.
As per 10Sport.com, the Parisians are prepared to sell him this summer, with Chelsea being credited with an interest in him.
On the set of RMC’s Rothen S'enflamme program on Wednesday (June 21), Rothen claimed that the 31-year-old was to be blamed for the club's misfortunes. He said:
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“Neymar has a greater share of responsibility than some.”
Petit, who won the 1998 FIFA World Cup with France, countered Rothen, claiming that Neymar was Les Parisiens’ best player in the first half of the 2022-23 season.
He said (via Le10Sport):
“He was PSG's best player in the first part of the season. Mbappe was not transcendent, he did not have an exceptional season. In addition, he made the management face up to their responsibilities, but he is exonerated because the press is behind him.”
Petit also claimed that Al-Khelaifi and Campos had not been up to the task.
The former Arsenal star added:
“But for me, Nasser Al-Khelaïfi and Luis Campos have been responsible for the Parisian fiasco for years, stop making us believe that it's the players!”
Neymar, whose contract runs out in June 2025, is currently recovering from an ankle injury. He has played 173 games for the French giants since 2017, scoring 118 times and claiming 77 assists.
After enduring consecutive Round-of-16 exits in the UEFA Champions League, the Ligue 1 winners are expected to strengthen their squad this summer. Inter Milan’s much-revered center-back Milan Skriniar is expected to join the club as a free agent, while Napoli’s goal machine Victor Osimhen is also believed to be on their radar.
Coming to departures, Lionel Messi and Sergio Ramos have already confirmed their exits, while Kylian Mbappe has declared that he will not sign a contract extension. According to numerous reports, the club would rather sell the French attacker this summer than lose him for free in June 2024.
People around Barcelona do not want to bring Neymar back from PSG
According to Spanish journalist Adrian Sanchez, Neymar is eager to put an end to his PSG career and return to his old hunting ground, Barcelona. It has been claimed that the Brazilian ace has been sending messages to people at Barca, trying to study whether or not the club are interested in re-signing him.
It has been reported that the player’s contacts have not reacted enthusiastically and have encouraged him to focus on his career in Paris instead. Sanchez’s claim comes shortly after it was reported that Barcelona coach Xavi is not thrilled with the idea of bringing his former teammate back to Camp Nou.
The PSG No. 10 spent four seasons at Barcelona between 2013 and 2017, scoring 105 times and picking up 76 assists in 186 games across competitions. He won one La Liga title and one UEFA Champions League trophy in Catalonia, amongst other honors.
