Despite supporting his two strikers in public, Luis Enrique continues to pick Kylian Mbappé (25) ahead of Gonçalo Ramos (22) and Randal Kolo Muani (25) at the number nine spot.
Paris Saint-Germain since midway through their draw against Newcastle in the Champions League on the 28th of November have featured Mbappé almost exclusively as the team’s striker. The only exception came when Ramos was provided the role in their 9-0 victory over Revel in the Coupe de France.
This is not the outcome that many would have expected for two forwards brought in over the summer for a combined cost of €170 million. However, neither player has yet managed to perform the role Luis Enrique expects of them, and as a result, have dropped to the bench.
In public, the manager has only ever come across in the media and training as a supportive figure of the two signings. However, L’Équipe reports that in private Luis Enrique held doubts over the suitability of both profiles, but is said to have still given his blessing for the club to action transfers for the two players.
Gonçalo Ramos
The transfer of Ramos in the summer on a loan deal with an obligation to buy for a fee totalling €80 million was pushed by Luis Campos, and supported by the manager.
In theory, the player looked the perfect profile for the sort of striker that Luis Enrique appreciates. The forward has played within an aggressive pressing system and had at his previous club, Benfica, combined well in the build-up phases of the game.
However, there is a feeling that the striker has struggled with the demands of the move. His confidence is low, and despite moments where he has shown promise within the attack, he suffers from inconsistency.
Randal Kolo Muani
Signed later than Ramos in the summer window for €90 million, Kolo Muani looked a statement signing for Les Parisiens. He was the sort of striker that Mbappé had been calling out for almost a year before.
However, according to L’Équipe, Luis Enrique was less than enamoured by his profile, as he did not think it fitted his tactical system. Still, like with Ramos before him, the manager gave his blessing to the move.
The forward has attempted to perform exactly to the demands asked of him but has yet to flourish under these instructions. Which like Ramos, is somewhat surprising, at his previous club Eintracht Frankfurt the Kolo Muani had shown himself to be a flexible player whose positioning was at the forefront of his abilities.
What next for the €170 million strikeforce?
It’s hard to see how either of the two expensive options can find their way back into the starting lineup in the foreseeable future.
Mbappé last season, publicly lamented having to play as the number nine and made it clear that it was not his favoured role. However, with the star’s future still in doubt, there is an expectation within the club that he will ‘keep a low profile.’
Even still, if Mbappé does eventually complain about the role, there is no certainty that one of Ramos or Kolo Muani will be trusted with the position. Despite their obvious qualities, Luis Enrique has in the past generally gone with an unorthodox striker, usually a winger or creative midfielder repurposed as a number nine.
In his management of Roma, this saw the Spaniard use either Francesco Totti or Miralem Pjanić (33) in the position, while in his time as the manager for the Spanish national side, Marco Asensio (27) would often be turned to as a false nine.
That last name could end up being the wall between the two out-of-luck strikers and the first team. Asensio joined in the summer but was injured early on in the season after promising showings for Les Parisiens. His recent return to fitness and his knowledge of the Luis Enrique system could see him being featured with greater frequency.
