Paris Saint-Germain’s Randal Kolo Muani will play a key role in the French international’s January transfer window sought after by a number of clubs, including English Premier League duo Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United who are reportedly investigating loan agreements. The 26-year-old is in his second full season with the French champions but has fallen out of favor under head coach Luis Enrique, who has already opened the door to a move away from the Parc des Princes this month despite joining for a fee arrived close by. $90 million just over 18 months ago.
Spurs and the Red Devils aren’t the only names linked with Kolo Muani this winter. Juventus and Aston Villa have also been mentioned as possible destinations as part of questions surrounding the futures of Dusan Vlahovic and Jhon Duran, while United could still try to bring Marcus Rashford into the fold. mix. Chelsea’s Christopher Nkunku appears to be the only credible lead in terms of PSG’s hoped-for replacement for their unwanted Frenchman in attack in January and the former Paris academy graduate has himself been the subject of numerous rumors.
However, at this early point in the window, little seems certain, apart from the fact that we will be hearing a lot about Kolo Muani in the coming weeks, with no guarantee that he will play much – if at all – for the Ligue 1 leaders and soon the return of the UEFA Champions League. So how has his stock remained relatively high despite a largely unsuccessful spell at the capital club so far?
The answer to that lies mainly in Kolo Muani’s exceptional form while playing for Eintracht Frankfurt in the Bundesliga for one season, which put him on the radar of a number of top European clubs that they don’t seem to have forgotten. The Bondy-born talent scored 17 goals and provided 11 assists in all competitions for the Bundesliga, thanks to 12 goals and four assists in his final season with Nantes before initially leaving France in 2022.
Hugo Ekitike is now enjoying a similar breakout with the Germans, so it is somewhat fitting that Kolo Muani would have traded his stellar previous form at Die Adler for his current predicament in Paris as Ekitike was also marginalised. With seven goals and five assists in all competitions in his first term at Parc des Princes, it’s not exactly the case that PSG’s number 23 has been a total flop with two more goals and an assist when given a chance by Luis Enrique. far this year.
The paradox of Kolo Muani at the moment is that he has currently played more meaningful minutes and scored more times at Les Bleus than at PSG, with three goals and an assist in the UEFA Nations League and another goal for the French at UEFA. Euro 2024 last summer. Not at all in his Spanish boss’s plans in Paris, he was the starting striker for Didier Deschamps, while captain Kylian Mbappe has been absent on international duty since joining Real Madrid.
That Luis Enrique does not see him as an integral part of his tactical vision in Paris hardly illustrates that Kolo Muani has become a bad player overnight and that the 26-year-old is still quite young despite being too was expensive when PSG bought him. He can play wide or alongside a second central attacking figure. His speed and ability to run with the ball make him an intriguing profile for clubs, which explains why his stock remains high.
The question now is whether or not one of Kolo Muani’s January suitors can find an acceptable deal with Paris to land him this month, giving him the rest of this season to rediscover his best form in a league like the EPL that suits its strengths. Should that happen, the Frenchman should be fairly easy to rehabilitate, as returning to regular play may not be as damaging as the first few months of this season, which could do real damage if they were to continue into this summer.