Wenger: Neymar exit would have sparked exodus of stars at PSG

Peter Lynch

Wenger: Neymar exit would have sparked exodus of stars at PSG image

Arsene Wenger believes several PSG stars would have joined Neymar in leaving if the Brazilian had left the club this summer.

The 27-year-old had been strongly linked with a move away from the Ligue 1 club, with both Real Madrid and former club Barcelona coming close to signing him.

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But after a drawn-out saga involving the player, Neymar will now stay with the French champions.

Speaking to BeIN Sports, former Arsenal manager Wenger explained that he is a huge fan of the player, and that his PSG team-mates would also have wanted to leave the club had their star forward left.

“I think that he is one of the best players in the world and I am happy that he is staying at PSG,” said Wenger.

“Because when you lose one of your two or three best players in the world, the law in our world is that the following year you lose the other. 

“It is very difficult to have players who make a difference, even when you have a lot of money. 

“When you have them, you must keep them,” added the former Arsenal manager. 

“When you want to keep a player, it is better to convince him how important you are to him, rather than to give him zero chance to leave.”

The forward was subject to several offers from his former club, with Barcelona offering players plus money for the Brazilian on numerous occasions.

However, Neymar will now continue his career with PSG, having joined the French outfit from the Catalan club as the world’s most expensive player in 2017.

In his two years at the French capital, the 27-year-old has won back-to-back Ligue 1 titles, as well as picking up the Coupe de France and Coupe de la Ligue on one occasion.

Barcelona had hoped to complete a deal to bring their former player back to Spain, but talks with the French club failed as the two parties ultimately failed to reach an agreement.

It is believed that Ousmane Dembele’s refusal to move to Paris that scuppered Neymar’s Camp Nou return, with the French winger keen to fight for his place at Barcelona.

Peter Lynch