As we begin to wind down the clock on another season of football, discussions will inevitably veer towards the transfer market as teams attempt to strengthen their current standings in their respective leagues.
One rumour that has become repetitive in its persistence is that of Paris Saint Germain’s talented deep-lying midfielder, Marco Verratti. Predicting his destination by the end of the transfer window though is becoming less predictable.
So far this season, Verratti has played 32 times for Unai Emery’s side, scoring a total of two goals and providing a further six assists in all competitions. On the face of things, this may not scream ‘world-beater’, yet scratch under the surface and you’re likely to discover just how important a player he is to Paris Saint-Germain.
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For someone who is relatively small in stature at 165cm, Verratti, on an average wins a total of 56% of his duels (a higher success rate than even Chelsea’s own midfield enforcer N’Golo Kante). This coupled with his natural ability to bring the ball forward into dangerous areas with progressive instincts means a player of his calibre is usually well coveted.
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Whilst he has never been a player who has scored a great deal of goals, (four in total since he joined Paris Saint Germain’s ranks in 2012 will attest to that) there is more to his play. On average, Verratti has created a total of 24.8 chances per season and holds a pass success rate of 89%. This coupled with his natural ability of being able to win the ball back from the opposition shows just how complete a player Verratti is, and also why he the biggest clubs in the world are trailing him.
There is a sense that Verratti feels settled in Paris, a key component who won 13 trophies since he was signed from Pescara, including four Ligue One titles and four Trophee des Champions.
Yet Veratti will at the very least have his head turned by teams vying for his signature due to a mild, though, no less obvious stagnation in PSG’s development. Whilst they are able to almost waltz to domestic titles year upon year, PSG’s Qatari owners covet elusive European recognition in the form of the Champions League Trophy more than anything.
Since the 2012/13 season, PSG have found themselves playing in Europe’s premier competition. Since the 2012/12 season, the French club have been knocked out at the quarter-final stage, every time. This is essentially the definition of stagnation. Even when heading into a second leg tie against Barcelona who they had torn apart to lead with a 4-0 advantage, they managed to let progression slip through their grasp.
Verratti should not be criticised for exploring other avenues of success at the very least. Winning domestic honours with your club surely brings a wave of euphoria for the players, though to win by margins of 31 points as they did during the 2015/16 season. Simply strolling towards the title must surely strip away the magic of such an accomplishment.
Will he stay or will he go?
Out of the teams currently watching Marco Verratti’s situation at Paris Saint-Germain is Barcelona who seem to be ahead of the pack and the most obvious of choices.
The Paris Saint-Germain star previously admitted that he enjoys Barcelona’s style of play, with their quick pace and aggression off the ball. Unai Emery’s team are more patient and methodical in their approach, and whilst Verratti plays consistently well within their system, it is not hard to envision him flourishing even more with the Camp Nou outfit.
Also Read: Barcelona Transfer News: Marco Verratti rejects Barcelona and confirms he will stay with PSG
Prior to the first leg match between PSG and Barcelona, the Italian International admitted his interested and said, “even though I am currently in a good project and I feel at home, any player would play for Barcelona.”
Words such as these have been uttered often and in Verratti’s case, it is understandable. To be the foundation for arguably the greatest attacking trident currently on show must be salivating.
Messi, Suarez and Neymar often grab the headlines due to their scintillating interplay, something that can partially be attributed to the fact Barcelona no longer possess one of the greatest midfielders to ever grace the game in Xavi Hernandez.
Leaving as club captain after the 2014/15 season to join Qatari club Al Sadd, there has been a gap that Andre Iniesta, and Sergio Busquets have been unable to fill alone. Verratti would not have to be fearful of the bench if he made the switch to the La Liga giants.
In fact, the 24-year-old has often been touted as Xavi Hernandez’ heir and would slot seamlessly into his old position at the Camp Nou.
Xavi himself previously stated his admiration for the Italian, confessing that he would like to see him play alongside his old team-mates. “I love Verratti. I like his vision of the game. He never loses the ball. He would fit well in the Barca game. I'd like to see him at Barcelona”, before further adding: “He's one of the best midfielders in the world, and plays a little bit in the same way as I tried to do with Barcelona and the national team.”
There are certainly similar traits in their style of play. Xavi was impervious to a challenge, racking up an average win of 63% of his take-ons and an exemplary pass rate of 93%. He was also masterful at creating challenges with a total number of 51 coming in his last season at the Camp Nou.
Such statistics currently eclipse Verratti’s at the Parc De Princes, but the Italian does not hold the same experience as of yet and plays in a team where he is not afforded as many opportunities to showcase his talents.
Playing alongside the defensive-minded Sergio Busquets means Verratti would be encouraged to make further forays forward and slotting into Xavi’s role with their tendencies to keep possession of the ball and a keen eye for long and short passes. Both also were, and still are experts in keeping a hold of the ball and playing the final killer pass.
As previously stated, Verratti is only 24 and certainly has time on his side. Yet with a glowing endorsement from one of the finest players of his generation, the chance to thread balls through to lethal finishers such as Messi and Suarez is certainly enough encouragement for him.
It is for this reason that if Marco Verratti were to leave the Parc De Princes this summer, it would only be for the Camp Nou. There will surely be other teams interested but nothing that seems to slot together as a perfect puzzle piece.
Chelsea are seemingly linked with the Italian international in every transfer window, and this coupled with the fact his old international manager is the man in charge at Stamford Bridge will only intensify such rumours. Yet Chelsea currently possesses an abundance of players in his position and with emerging talents such as Nathaniel Chalobah and Ruben Loftus-Cheek currently on the rise, it is difficult to see who Chelsea would happily sell to bring Verratti in.
The same can be said of Barcelona’s fiercest rivals, Real Madrid. Luka Modric and Toni Kroos currently occupy similar positions in which Verratti operates. Considering they are held in such high regard with Kroos already holding a total of 61 chances so far before the end of the current season, and Modric holds similar statistics to Verratti, but is also a player Real Madrid are unwilling to unload at this time.
Verratti is clearly an important player to Paris Saint-Germain and one they will not wish to lose. There have been no concrete offers made at this point and if the Qatari-owned club are once more willing to invest heavily this summer he may very well stay.
Yet the feeling is that if he was to stay and PSG were once more to be knocked out of the Champions League during the quarter-final stage or earlier, the 2017/18 season would be Marco Verratti’s last with the current French Champions.
