Christophe Galtier mentioned he was able to impose himself on Paris Saint-Germain’s dressing room of superstars after being appointed as the membership’s new coach on Tuesday to exchange the sacked Mauricio Pochettino.
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Galtier, who left PSG’s Ligue 1 rivals Nice final month, has signed a two-year deal on the Parc des Princes with the French champions confirming the appointment shortly after saying Pochettino’s departure.
“Yes, I am emotional, yes I am proud,” Galtier mentioned at a press convention within the French capital.
“I realise full well the responsibility that has been given to me but I have prepared for this. I wouldn’t have accepted this job if I didn’t think I was capable of it.”
Galtier might not be as well-known internationally as a number of the different names who had been linked with the PSG job — most notably Zinedine Zidane — however he has an excellent fame in France the place he received the Ligue 1 title with Lille final 12 months.
He insisted he was not afraid of constructing his mark on a PSG dressing room stuffed with star names even past Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar.
“It is a privilege to have a dressing room full of world-class players,” he mentioned.
“You have to speak with them but additionally impose your self. There will be no compromises.
“We must have a common project but there will not be a revolution. I am going to observe and listen, and I know I will have the backing of the management if there is a player who doesn’t fall in line with the project of the club.”
The membership had earlier issued a brief assertion confirming what had been widely-touted for weeks — the departure of Pochettino with a 12 months remaining on his contract.
“Paris Saint-Germain confirm that Mauricio Pochettino has ended his role at the club,” mentioned a membership assertion as the previous Tottenham Hotspur coach left the Parc des Princes after 18 months in cost.
Pochettino and his backroom employees depart having received the Ligue 1 title final season however the marketing campaign was higher remembered for a disappointing exit from the Champions League within the final 16 by the hands of Real Madrid.
– ‘Never spoke to Zidane’ –
“The club would like to thank Mauricio Pochettino and his staff for their work and wish them the best for the future,” added PSG’s assertion.
Pochettino, in flip, posted a farewell message on Instagram.
“I want to wish everyone at PSG the very best for the future,” he mentioned.
“We enjoyed some amazing moments and big wins all together and, as a coaching staff, with every experience we always take learnings to advance our evolution for the future.”
PSG’s transfer for Galtier had been an open secret for a number of weeks and membership president Nasser al-Khelaifi dismissed any strategies he had initially wished to nominate Zidane.
“We never spoke to Zidane. I love him as a player and as a coach but for all the respect I have for him we never spoke with him,” Khelaifi mentioned.
“Christophe Galtier was always the first choice for us. He is here and I hope that is the last question on the matter.”
Galtier is PSG’s seventh coach for the reason that Qatari takeover of the membership in 2011 and can be hoping to turn into the primary to ship success within the Champions League.
The 55-year-old has developed a fame as the main coach within the French membership recreation during the last decade.
He loved eight profitable years at Saint-Etienne, the place he received the League Cup in 2013, earlier than a four-year stint at Lille was topped with the Ligue 1 title in 2021, once they pipped PSG.
He left Lille within the wake of that success and joined bold Nice, who’re owned by Ineos, the group chaired by British billionaire Jim Ratcliffe.
Galtier led Nice to fifth place in Ligue 1 final season as nicely as to the French Cup closing, which they misplaced to Nantes.
The former Portsmouth assistant supervisor beforehand labored with Luis Campos, the Portuguese tremendous scout who was not too long ago named as PSG’s soccer advisor and who constructed the Lille workforce that received the league below Galtier.