“This PSG team is stronger than last year” - PSG star makes interesting claim following Kylian Mbappe’s exit this summer

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) midfielder Vitinha has shared his thoughts on the squad after Kylian Mbappe's exit in the summer. He acknowledged that losing the Frenchman changes things but asserted that the team is better now and is improving.

Mbappe left PSG at the end of the last season upon the expiration of his contract and joined Real Madrid. He was the all-time top scorer for the Parisians with 256 goals and 108 assists in 308 games across competitions. He won numerous domestic trophies but failed to help them win their maiden UEFA Champions League trophy.

In a recent interview with RMC Sport, Vitinha, who shared the pitch 83 times with Mbappe, opened up about the team this season, saying (via PSGTalk):

"For me, this PSG team is stronger than last year, and it’ll only get better.

“Losing one of the best players in the world, someone who scores 50 goals, obviously changes the team dynamic—it changes everything. But I don’t see it that way. We’ve got plenty of players who can score.”

PSG have seemingly moved away from their strategy of having superstars in the squad like Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi, and Neymar. They have a number of youngsters like Desire Doue and Joao Neves this season. They sit atop the Ligue 1 table but are 19th in the UEFA Champions League table.

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Kylian Mbappe's underwhelming start to life at Real Madrid

Widely considered as one of the best players of his generation, Kylian Mbappe has clearly struggled to adapt to life at Real Madrid so far. He's scored eight goals and provided two assists in 14 games across competitions but three of them have been penalties. His general performances have also left a lot to be desired.

Mbappe faced immense criticism after his performance in Los Blancos' 4-0 hammering against arch-rivals Barcelona. They put in a poor performance at the Santiago Bernabeu in LaLiga on Saturday, October 26. In the game, the Frenchman was caught offside eight times, the most of any player in a match in Europe's top five leagues this season.

Kylian Mbappe recently won the Gerd Muller Trophy at the Ballon d'Or 2024 ceremony. He shared it with Harry Kane as both players scored 52 goals for club and country last season. Real Madrid will hope the Frenchman can replicate this form at the Santiago Bernabeu soon.