New PSG recruit, Nordi Mukiele detailed in the newspaper L’Equipe on Saturday, his ambitions, his integration into the Parisian system or even his past shortcomings, particularly in terms of concentration. After four seasons at RB Leipzig, in the Bundesliga, the kid from Montreuil, 24, has joined the PSG workforce for the next five seasons, to join the defensive sector alongside, in particular, Sergio Ramos, Marquinhos and Achraf. Hakimi.
“You need to have top-level players to win the biggest trophies. It’s normal. I come here to play, to learn, to keep growing. Afterwards, if I had been told, in Laval, that I would play one day with Ramos, I would not necessarily have believed it (smiles) “, slipped the international tricolor (1 selection).
He will therefore have to succeed in probably integrating himself into a three-way defense as envisaged by Christophe Galtier. But once again, he says he is ready to play “where the coach puts me”. “Piston, axial, I’m comfortable with both. Imposing myself here or there is not the question. The question is whether I’m going to perform and whether I’m going to help the team.
“I feel ready”
With his transfer to the Parisian jersey, Nordi Mukiele is taking a new step after having known Laval, Montpellier and Leipzig. but the challenge does not scare him: “At no time did I hesitate to join PSG, when Chelsea came forward. When you join a big club, there is inevitably an element of risk. Afterwards, I think I’m prepared. If you had asked me the question two years ago, I would have told you that I was not ready. Today I know I am. In Leipzig, I experienced Europe, reference matches against Paris, Manchester City or United. If a player wants to evolve, he must go through the big clubs and today, I am there. And I feel ready. So yes, it’s a risk, but a very good risk (smile) “, he assured.
On the side of his coach, the risk may also lie in the lack of concentration of his new defender. According to several of his trainers, Nordi Mukiele would have shortcomings in this area, but the player now cuts short this reproach: “It was a problem, yes. I worked on that a lot in Leipzig. I was a player who often, when he made a mistake, lost his concentration. So I made video, I spoke a lot with a specialist in Leipzig on defensive animations. Today I am a different player. »
From now on, his ambitions are displayed: the France team for the World Cup in Qatar and the Champions League in club. The recent eliminations of his new club on the European scene do not scare him more than that. “PSG is a strong team. Look at the names in the team. Afterwards, we cannot always link this to the mentality, to the emotions. There is that, but there is something else. I just think it takes time, a build. PSG has already made a final, a semi-final, it was played for nothing. When you reach this level, you have a base. And I’m sure it will happen one day (the victory in C1). To see if he participates actively.