Trusting Kolo Muani and offloading Ekitike, PSG now realize their mistake.

Paris Saint-Germain truly made some poor decisions regarding their forward line.

After his impressive performances at the 2022 World Cup, Randal Kolo Muani attracted the attention of many top clubs. In fact, the French striker had already been noticed for his excellent form at Eintracht Frankfurt, ending the 2022/23 season with a total of 15 goals and 14 assists in the Bundesliga. Therefore, it wasn’t surprising when Muani quickly became a hot commodity as soon as the summer transfer window opened.

After much speculation, Muani finally returned to Ligue 1 through a €95 million transfer, marking the third most expensive signing in Paris Saint-Germain’s history. At the time, Muani had high expectations, especially since he had previously shone in Ligue 1 with Nantes. However, based on his current performances, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that Muani is on his way to becoming a flop at PSG.

It’s been over a year since Muani joined PSG, yet he has only managed to score 11 goals in 55 appearances across all competitions, along with 6 assists (data from Transfermarkt). What’s more concerning is that there are no signs of improvement this season. So far, he has only scored 2 goals in 9 appearances across all competitions and has not registered a single assist. More importantly, coach Luis Enrique seems to have lost faith in the French striker.

With Goncalo Ramos injured, Muani should have been trusted and given the chance to start. However, in recent matches, Enrique has often opted to use a false 9 in the lineup, leaving Muani on the bench. Naturally, the French media have started questioning PSG’s blockbuster signing. Journalist Coralie Salle believes that PSG should have kept Hugo Ekitike instead of splashing out on Muani.

“Can someone explain why the PSG management decided to sell Hugo Ekitike to make way for Randal Kolo Muani? I find Ekitike’s skillset much more interesting,” Salle wrote on her Twitter account.

In fact, like Muani, Ekitike was also signed by PSG in the summer of 2023. However, just a few months later, he was loaned to Frankfurt, before being permanently sold this past summer for around €16.5 million. Now, PSG surely regret the decision, as Ekitike has exploded into one of the best forwards in the Bundesliga this season.

The French striker has featured in 8 matches for Frankfurt this season, scoring 5 goals and providing 4 assists across all competitions, including a goal against Bayern Munich last weekend. At 22 years old, Ekitike is bound to develop even further in the future, and it’s clear that PSG made a huge mistake by offloading this striker to make room for Muani.