"This trophy was in part thanks to Mauricio" - Galtier lauds ex-PSG boss for his role in Trophee Des Champions win

Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) manager Christophe Galtier has said that the club's 4-0 victory over Nantes to win the Trophée des Champions was because of his predecessor. Galtier lauded the club's former manager Mauricio Pochettino, crediting him for the Ligue 1 title win and building a formidable squad for the future.

The French club scored one goal in the first half and added three more in the second half to secure an easy win over Nantes. Lionel Messi scored the opener for PSG, while Neymar added the next two goals. Former Real Madrid skipper Sergio Ramos scored the fourth and final goal.

Interacting with the press after winning his first game and his first ever trophy as PSG's top boss, Christophe Galtier thanked the club's former manager. He said via L’Equipe (via Get French Football News):

“I’m very happy to bring this trophy back to Paris. We got here because the team won the league under a manager who I’d like to make a nod to, this trophy was in part thanks to Mauricio [Pochettino].”

Galtier expressed happiness over the club's performance in the match and highlighted that minor issues will be addressed ahead of the new season. He added:

“I liked the way in which the team expressed themselves, always with that willingness to attack, to control the game and to win the ball back as quickly as possible. We conceded two chances, we had a lot of opportunities. There are still things to fine-tune but I’m very happy that we scored four goals. It’s an important win to start the season off, we shouldn’t trivialise victories and winning a trophy”

“With regard to Leo [Messi] and Neymar, these are players who have known each other for a fair few seasons, they’ve played together elsewhere, and have rediscovered each other last year – they have a real technical link. In all modesty, I’m not surprised by what the attackers have done with the support from the wings and the midfield.”

Under Pochettino's tutelage, PSG won the 2021-22 Ligue 1 title by a gap of 15 points.

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Everton close to signing former midfielder Idrissa Gueye from PSG

English Premier League club Everton are close to signing their former defensive midfielder Idrissa Gueye from PSG ahead of the new season. Gueye joined the Parisian club in 2019 for a fee of £30 million after playing for three seasons at Everton.

The Senegal midfielder made 111 appearances for the Parisians, scoring seven goals and assisting six.

Football journalist Fabrizio Romano has updated that the two clubs are involved in intense negotiations over different aspects of the deal.