PSG coach Carlo Ancelotti (left) and midfield player Blaise Matuidi address journalists during the press conference at Aspire Academy yesterday. PICTURES BY: KAMMUTTY VP/REUTERS
BY DENZIL PINTO
DOHA: David Beckham’s hopes of playing for Paris Saint Germain (PSG) appear to be over after coach Carlo Ancelotti yesterday said the French club were ‘not interested’ in signing the English midfielder.
With Beckham playing his last match for LA Galaxy earlier this month, there has been speculation that PSG were leading the race to sign the former Manchester United and Real Madrid midfielder.
However, Ancelotti, who brought Beckham on loan during his stint as AC Milan coach in 2009, insists the club will not ‘recruit players for the sake of it’.
“I know he (Beckham) left LA Galaxy, but we’re not interested,” the Italian coach told journalists during a press conference at Aspire Academy.
“We have a lot of good players, we have thirty. As a result we do not need new players. We believe that the team is very good and very competitive. After that, we will not refuse the opportunity. There is no need to recruit players for the sake of it,” Ancelotti said.
The Italian coach, who won three Italian titles as well as two European Cups during his playing career with Roma and Juventus, insists his squad is now complete following Lucas’ arrival from Sao Paulo.
The Brazilian attacking midfielder will meet his new team-mates later today and Ancelotti is happy that PSG, who are owned by Qatar Investment Authority, won the race to sign the 20-year-old.
“We are happy that he is here, because it was not easy for the club to recruit such a player. He is a great player, he is young and he will be the future of the club,” Ancelotti said of the Brazilian who has scored three goals in 20 appearances for the national team.
The Italian added: “He has many qualities. He is young and has so much talent. He will fit in well with the other players as he can play in several different positions. He will help the club reach its objectives.”
Midfielder Blaise Matuidi cannot wait to play alongside Lucas.
He said: “He is a great player who will bring us the percussion. It will be a real plus for us and I hope it will help us to achieve our goals.”
Speaking of possible departures, Ancelotti said: “I already said that if players want to leave the club, we can think but today there is nothing official. Few players asked to leave but there is nothing official.”
Half of the PSG squad arrived with their families in Doha late on Friday for a week-long training camp. The team trained for one hour at Aspire yesterday under the presence of club President Nasser Al Khelaifi.
Swedish striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic who has scored 18 goals for the French giants since his $24.5m move from AC Milan, along with the South American players including Thiago Silva, Alex, Nene, Javier Pastore and Ezequiel Lavezzi were set to join the squad yesterday.
With warmer weather in Doha than the French capitial, the PSG coach believes the winter training camp will be worthwhile for his players.
“This training camp is very important for the team. The training centre (Aspire Academy), the temperature, atmosphere and hospitality are just fantastic. The people here are very helpful and this camp will help us to achieve a great deal and do all that is necessary to do our best for the remainder of this season,” Ancelotti said.
His opinion was echoed by Matuidi. “The facilities (at Aspire) are truly exceptional, all the conditions are met to achieve a good placement. And the weather is fine, we can not hope for better preparations. We want to work well as a team,” said the 25-year-old.
Matuidi also stressed the importance of the second half othe season.
He said: “Ligue 1 is a difficult championship but we will continue to improve. I’m confident we can get good results.”
The French international added: “We should concentrate on what we should do to reach the objectives. I’m pleased to play with this team.”
As part of the camp, PSG will play a friendly match against Qatar Stars League (QSL) champions Lekhwiya on January 2, which Ancelotti believes will be a good test for his team.
The 53-year-old was satisfied with the work he has done since taking over as coach a year ago.
“The balance is positive. In one year, I met a new club, new players, a new atmosphere and a new league. It’s been a good year, because the team has always been able to respond in difficult times. The attitude of the players are good and and improvement is good,” said the Italian coach, whose club sit atop of Ligue 1 with 38 points along with Marseille and Lyon. Ancelotti, who guided AC Milan to Champions League glory in 2003 and 2007, feels PSG can advance to the quarter-finals of the prestigous European club event.
“In the Champions League, we have a big game coming up against Valencia, but we can make it into the quarter-finals,” said Ancelotti.
“We want to go as far as possible... we are competitors. We go on the field to win, even if there are a lot of great teams accustomed to the Champions League. We will do everything to qualify against Valencia with a rematch in the park, before thinking of other games,” the Italian added.
THE PENINSULA
