Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain have parted company with
Laurent Blanc, with Sevilla coach Unai Emery poised to take over.
Laurent Blanc
Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain have parted company with Laurent Blanc, with Sevilla coach Unai Emery poised to take over.
Following widespread speculation linking Emery with the PSG job, it was announced he would depart Sevilla almost two weeks ago. Jorge Sampaoli is set to be the three-time Europa League winner's successor in Andalusia.
Unai Emery
Blanc guided PSG to
back-to-back domestic trebles in the last two seasons, but quarter-final
exits in the Champions League in each of his three seasons in
charge are likely to have cost him dearly.
"As
we embark on a new chapter in the development of the club, I would like
to thank Laurent Blanc for everything he has achieved over the last
three years, both in terms of the playing style and results," PSG CEO Nasser Al-Khelaifi said in a statement.
"I wish him the best for his future challenges."
PSG said lengthy negotiations over his departure had reached a conclusion "in a respectful atmosphere" on Monday.
The club's statement read: "An agreement, by common accord, preserves the interest of both parties.
"As
the club decides to head in a new direction for the management of the
first team, it wishes to thank Laurent Blanc and expresses its gratitude
for the work accomplished over the last three years by Laurent and his
staff.
"He left a significant mark on the great history of Paris Saint-Germain."
French
media reported last week that Blanc had received a €22million pay-off
to terminate his PSG contract early, the former France boss had signed
an extension that ran until the end of the 2017-18 season in February.
While
Blanc has failed to transform the cash-rich Parisians into European
contenders, his likely replacement arrives with considerable pedigree in
continental competition.
Emery won the Europa League in each of his three full seasons at the helm of Sevilla - an unprecedented treble in the competition's history.
At Sevilla, as well as in three consecutive third-place finishes in La Liga
with Valencia, Emery has proven himself well adept at working in
financially constricted roles, with the riches on offer as PSG boss a
new challenge for him.
A return to the Ramon Sanchez Pizjuan for Poland midfielder Grzegorz Krychowiak is anticipated, while PSG are also expected to enter the market for a star striker after Zlatan Ibrahimovic's departure.
Neymar
is thought to be a long-term target of the club's ambitious owners - a
move made more likely in recent months by the Brazilian's apparent
stalling in contract talks with Barcelona.
Neymar
Blanc won the Ligue 1 title and the Coupe de la Ligue at Bordeaux and led the France national team at Euro 2012 prior to replacing Carlo Ancelotti in Paris back in 2013.
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