In this article, we look at how the French champions have changed their approach to transfers in order to align with their style of play and are now reaping the rewards.
Paris Saint-Germain’s decision to shift away from signing established superstars and pivot towards bringing in exceptionally talented up-and-comers and looking towards their academy seems to be beginning to pay off.
Gone are the days of acquiring heavy hitters like Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, as PSG’s strategic change in their recruitment policy has them now targeting younger players - both domestically and from abroad.
While this Galactico-less approach has had its critics and there have been bumps along the road, this more sustainable philosophy - spearheaded by sporting director Luis Campos - is clearly bearing fruit in the second season of the Luis Enrique era, with the Spaniard creating a formidable team based around the collective.
Led by the likes of Vitinha, João Neves, Bradley Barcola, Willian Pacho, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia and Desiré Doué, this change in identity has unquestionably given the team far more stability, structure and cohesion, as a result fostering a far greater sense of togetherness and unity within the squad.
Thierry Henry summed it up aptly by saying: "You lost a bit of magic, but the team looks a bit more sound in terms of balance."
While PSG have still splashed the cash on many occasions, it’s important to note that they're now often spending big on players still making a name for themselves at the elite level and that have shown tremendous hunger and desire to succeed, which, in combination with their elevated willingness to learn, has ensured they've been right on board with Enrique’s plans.
Four of PSG’s recent young attacking recruits - Player Lists Comparison
Midfield Mastery Key to PSG
"The intention is the same, no matter who wears the Paris shirt. Our objective is to have many players who can compete and win, regardless of the line-up," explained Enrique.
Allowed to instil his methodology smoothly and successfully, this has been integral towards the 54-year-old getting his team to play such a tactically sophisticated and compelling brand of football.
Dominating Ligue 1 and right on track to win the league undefeated, and into the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals after their phenomenal triumph over Liverpool, this exciting, adaptable, and quality-laden team have been a nightmare to play against both domestically and in Europe.
Top of the Ligue 1 table, as of Friday 4th April 2025
“Vitinha, the way he controls the game and defends, it’s a different sport! João Neves, Nuno Mendes, [Willian] Pacho at the back - they were all outstanding. [Achraf] Hakimi, wow! I’m so happy for French football," gushed Henry after PSG's famous Champions League victory over Liverpool.
“I don’t know Luis Enrique that well, but look, personally, I meant wow! The way he put that team together - and we all know sometimes talent isn’t enough. You need a team willing to play well on and off the ball. Paris Saint-Germain, wow!”
Carving open defensive constellations with swagger, incision and intelligence, PSG have been such a driving force in possession with their astute mechanics and technical artistry. Unsurprisingly, this has led to a high amount of chance creation and goal scoring opportunities.
Ligue 1 Goal Scoring, as of Friday 4th April 2025 - Wyscout Team Rankings
Fluid, patient, and forever asking questions and altering reference points of opponents, watching Luis Enrique’s side build through the thirds with their nuanced staggering has been a pleasure.
Eager to dictate and control matches with the ball, his masterful midfield - which usually features three of Vitinha, Neves, Fabián Ruiz, Warren Zaïre-Emery and Doué - have been so instrumental. Constantly rotating with each other and the attacking players, their dovetailing and fluidity have made them nigh on impossible to contain.
PSG average position map from the first leg of their UCL tie vs. Liverpool - Wyscout Match Report
Be it dropping deep to form overloads in build-up wide and centrally, edging into the half spaces to allow the full-backs to maraud upfield, facilitating third-man patterns, or pushing on to embark on box-crashing runs, they have been so influential in making PSG tick.
Creating advantageous situations not only with their multifaceted movement to generate frequent numerical and positional superiorities, but also with their dribbling wizardry and passing genius, there's no doubting what an asset their press-resistant midfield triumvirate has been.
PSG's dribbling graphic - Wyscout Team Report
On top of their technical and tactical abilities, their physical capability has helped execute Luis Enrique’s style of play and, as such, dominate opponents.
Using Hudl Physical Data, we can see how the example of Desiré Doué below fits this high-energy philosophy, with the young prodigy ranking highly in many of the metrics in comparison to the rest of Ligue 1 midfielders.
There is without doubt a link between PSG’s recruitment of younger players and the need for higher physical outputs, demonstrating the importance of leveraging human performance metrics when it comes to providing further context and decision-making around transfer strategy.
Ousmane Dembélé: Fulfilling His Potential
Aside from the youthful influx of players, another aspect of PSG’s squad renovation has been the resurgence of Ousmane Dembélé, who joined in 2023 and has now matured like a fine wine into a decisive and versatile game changer for LesParisiens.
Wreaking havoc with his clever movement from his new false nine role, Dembélé has shrewdly picked his moments when to drop deeper and overload zones all across the final third, as well as when to venture into the penalty area.
Relishing the freedom afforded to him by Enrique and always so alert to vacant spaces and cues, (such as passing lanes opening and when foes are preoccupied or ball-watching) the 27-year-old has emphatically exploited any weaknesses in the opposition by smartly timing and directing his movement.
Dembélé's heat map this season - Wyscout Player Report
Taking his game to another level in this role, he always places doubt in defenders’ minds and never lets opponents settle into a rhythm of how to stop him, as he relentlessly gets free and gains the separation he needs to impact so heavily in the final third.
Dembélé's ball progression and dribbling graphics - Wyscout Player Repor
As a result of receiving the ball in such high quality locations and being on the same page as his colleagues, Dembélé has been able to put his ball-carrying class and creativity to good use to score and create.
Dembélé's recent shot map
"We all knew Ousmane as a winger. Now he can start wide or inside, and that’s a positive thing. His ability to move inside the box has been surprising, something more typical of a striker," stated Enrique.
"Even he didn’t expect these numbers, but that’s the beauty of being part of a team. You align your playing style with your teammates. Back when I played PlayStation as a kid, he was the kind of player you'd choose when you needed someone to change the game. He was already good last season, but in 2025 he is even better. You can see his teammates looking for him and finding him. He has an impeccable attitude."
Dembélé's shot assists and penalty area deliveries graphic - Wyscout Player Report
Defending from the Front
Similarly brave and courageous when defending as well, the Parisian giants have been so impressive with their pressing and counterpressing.
Aggressive, intense, and excellent at regaining the ball high, PSG’s high-harrying has been a handy chance creation method for them. This is duly demonstrated by their recovery maps below.
Coordinated, wanting to compress the pitch with their high line, and making life as difficult as possible for opposition to pass out from the back with their usual man-marking approach, they've been very tough to bypass.
Although they can get caught out if they blow a marking assignment or if the distances between lines becomes too large, the positives definitely outweigh the negatives.
Moreover, seeing as they have a sound rest defence shape courtesy of their connected positional play in possession, this means PSG have been able to counterpress effectively to recover the ball swiftly. From here, spread-out opposition backlines that were preparing to attack can be exposed by their lethal firepower, who love surging at disorganised defensive units with time and space to enjoy.
By the numbers, PSG's all-round excellence is aptly evidenced by their magnificent performance in a host of metrics in Ligue 1, many of which they rank first in.
Moulding his team in his image brilliantly, all the signs are promising that Enrique's men are capable of going on to secure a memorable treble. While there's still plenty of football to be played until that can happen, the fact it's a distinct possibility is a testament to the work done by the demanding and meticulous Enrique.
Building a fantastic environment and culture for success and boasting a squad with an ideal blend of youth, experience, athleticism, physicality, technical prowess and footballing IQ, it will be intriguing to see if they can keep up their form in the final stages of the campaign
Primed for glory with Enrique at the helm and with their strategic recruitment and player development paying off, there's certainly no room for passengers at PSG these days.
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