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AgenciesParisChristophe Galtier has been confirmed as the new Paris Saint-Germain head coach on Tuesday after Mauricio Pochettino left the Ligue 1 champions.PSG won the league by a margin of 15 points in the 2021-22 season, but Pochettino departed on Tuesday following his failure to deliver their first Champions League title.Galtier, 55, is the man who has been trusted to take over at PSG, strongly supported by new sporting director Luis Campos.Campos and Galtier have worked together previously when they combined at Lille to create the team that pipped PSG to the Ligue 1 title by a point in 2020-21.Galtier left Lille days after they won that championship, joining Nice.But he spent only a single season on the French Riviera - finishing fifth and reaching the Coupe de France final – before leaving late last month, with Nice bringing back Lucien Favre as his replacement.That move came as speculation persisted around Galtier’s move to PSG, with Pochettino’s exit anticipated since the end of last season.Pochettino’s departure was confirmed just hours before Galtier appeared alongside PSG president Nasser Al Khelaifi at a news conference.Galtier will be tasked with finally ending PSG’s wait for Champions League glory, their latest failure in the competition coming in a second-leg collapse against eventual winners Real Madrid in the last 16.He becomes the club’s sixth coach since 2012.Galtier said he was ready to impose himself on Paris Saint-Germain’s dressing room of superstars.Galtier, who left PSG’s Ligue 1 rivals Nice last month, has signed a two-year deal at the Parc des Princes with the French champions confirming the appointment shortly after announcing Pochettino’s departure.“Yes, I am emotional, yes I am proud,” Galtier said at a press conference in 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 may not be as well-known internationally as some of the other names who had been linked with the PSG job – most notably Zinedine Zidane – but he has an outstanding reputation in France where he won the Ligue 1 title with Lille last year.He insisted he was not afraid of making his mark on a PSG dressing room full of star names even beyond Kylian Mbappe, Lionel Messi and Neymar.“It is a privilege to have a dressing room full of world-class players,” he said.“You have to talk with them but also impose yourself. There can 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 club had earlier issued a short statement confirming what had been widely-touted for weeks – the departure of Pochettino with a year remaining on his contract.“Paris Saint-Germain confirm that Mauricio Pochettino has ended his role at the club,” said a club statement as the former Tottenham Hotspur coach left the Parc des Princes after 18 months in charge.Galtier’s switch to PSG ‘good for everyone’ says Nice president Nice president Jean-Pierre Rivere harbours no ill-will towards Christophe Galtier, who he hopes the best for PSG.The former Lille coach enjoyed a fine start to his single season in the south of France, with Nice flying high in Ligue 1 and embarking on a run to the Coupe de France final, beating PSG en route.However, Nice were unable to keep up their push for Champions League qualification and ultimately had to settle for fifth place, while they were defeated 1-0 by Nantes in the Coupe de France final in May. Nevertheless, Rivere is happy that Galtier has the chance to coach a star-studded PSG team, and believes the impending move suits all parties.He told L’Equipe: “I am very happy that Christophe has the opportunity to coach PSG and I will always keep a watchful eye on him.“This alignment of the planets is good for everyone.” Galtier did not reportedly see eye to eye with Nice sporting director Julien Fournier, and Rivere conceded there were issues at the club.“There were these tensions that should not have been expressed in the press,” he added.“It may seem very confusing, but we analysed the situation calmly and I was able to explain my strategy to (INEOS director of sport) Dave (Brailsford).“Nice must project itself with an offensive style, from the training centre to the first team. The pleasure we had at one time has been lost over the last three years.”
