11 PSG academy products that the Ligue 1 giants let go

Since Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) took over PSG in 2011, the club have gone on a mammoth spending spree and achieved untold domestic success.

The Parisians have won five league titles during that time, spent an entire government budget on the likes of Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Thiago Silva and become the undoubted kings of French football.

Like any club that heavily relies on outside investment, though, PSG’s academy products have often found themselves frozen out by the first-team manager’s need to find immediate success – think of PSG as the French Chelsea.

Right now, USMNT starlet Timothy Weah has found himself farmed out on loan to Celtic in search of some valuable first-team experience, while the likes of Christopher Nkunku and Moussa Diaby are really struggling to overhaul the insane talent that currently fills the ranks of the French champions.

But if you look further back, PSG’s academy has been producing and selling on these sorts of talents for years, with each one going on to have various levels of success throughout their careers. Here at Squawka, we’ve taken a look at 11 of them.

1. Kingsley Coman

Age: 22

Current club: Bayern Munich

There probably isn’t a better place to start than Kingsley Coman, arguably the most high-profile PSG academy product still playing the game.

Coman made just four appearances for the PSG first team before heading off to Italian giants Juventus in 2014. The flying winger never quite fit in with the Old Lady, but a two-year loan move to Bayern Munich between 2015-2017 proved fruitful, with the 22-year-old earning a permanent move to the German goliaths.

Coman has made 107 appearances for the Bavarians so far.

2. Matteo Guendouzi

Age: 19

Current club: Arsenal

When Matteo Guendouzi rocked up at the Emirates at the start of this season, many thought the shaggy-haired midfielder was one for the future and wouldn’t get much of a look-in for the Arsenal first team.

That, however, has not been the case. Guendouzi has featured heavily for Unai Emery this season after a very strong pre-season, particularly impressing with a commanding performance in a friendly against his former side.

Guendouzi joined the PSG academy in 2005 at just six years old, remaining there until 2014 before moving to Lorient. It was with Les Merlus where the 19-year-old caught the eye, making 30 senior appearances and playing with the grace and swagger of a seasoned pro.

3. Moussa Dembele

Age: 22

Current club: Lyon

Moussa Dembele spent eight years in the PSG academy between 2004 and 2012 but decided on a move to England at the tender age of 16. Dembele turned a number of heads during his time with Fulham between 2013-2016, with a host of European giants queuing up to take a look at him.

In the end, he spent the next two seasons being pretty much the best striker in Scotland with Celtic before moving back to France with Lyon, where he has scored eight goals in 22 game so far.

4. Jean-Kevin Augustin

Age: 21

Current club: RB Leipzig

On so many occasions, you find young talent leaving giant clubs as a result of not getting enough chances with the first team. This, however, was not the case with Jean-Kevin Augustin, who scored just two goals in 31 games for PSG before ending an eight-year association with the club in 2017, moving to RB Leipzig for a reported £11.4m fee.

The 21-year-old has found much more success with the German club so far, scoring 20 goals and providing eight assists in 64 appearances so far. Augustin has scored 26 goals across various youth levels for France and will still harbour hopes of becoming a mainstay in Les Blues’ senior set-up in the future.

5. Youssouf Mulumbu

Age: 32

Current club: Kilmarnock (on loan from Celtic)

Youssouf Mulumbu spent two years in the PSG youth ranks from 2004-2006, making 15 first-team appearances for the Parisians.

When it became clear the Congolese midfielder wasn’t going to make the grade in Paris, a loan move to Amiens followed, before Mulumbu moved to England with West Brom, spending seven years with the Baggies and making 211 appearances as a reliable, combative presence in the middle of the park.

After a short spell with Norwich City, Mulumbu is now on loan at Kilmarnock from fellow Scottish club Celtic.

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6. Mamadou Sakho

Age: 29

Current club: Crystal Palace

The most terrifyingly decent defender in the Premier League right now, Mamadou Sakho’s career got a kick-start with PSG as he joined their youth team as a 12-year-old in 2002.

Sakho made over 200 appearances for the first team before the influx of money from QSI began restricting his opportunities at the Parc Des Princes, resulting in a move to Liverpool in 2013.

Now 29, Sakho has played more than 130 games in England for the Reds. He’s now at Crystal Palace and, despite looking like Bambi on ice with the ball at times, has put in a number of strong performances in the Premier League, helping him rack up 29 caps for France to date.

7. Yacine Adli

Age: 18

Current club: Bordeaux

Yacine Adli reportedly turned down a move to Arsenal in the summer of 2018, instead choosing to remain with PSG until January. The 18-year-old failed to make a single first-team appearance for the Parisians before making a £4m move to Bordeaux, where he is now being tipped to become one of Europe’s top creative midfielders.

On snubbing Arsenal, he said (via the Mirror): “I don’t regret anything. Even if I didn’t play once over the past six months in Paris, I’m glad I chose them.

“I was around great players every day. I progressed, but that’s in the past. Now, I’m focused on Bordeaux.”

8. David N’Gog

Age: 29

Current club: Budapest Honved

Ah, David N’Gog, we’re not worthy. After graduating from the PSG academy, the French forward scored just three goals in 25 appearances for the first team before heading off to Liverpool.

Much of his time with the Reds was spent playing second-fiddle to Fernando Torres, while N’Gog was on the end of more jokes than he was through balls, scoring just 19 goals in 94 appearances. The 29-year-old mirrored his Liverpool form following a move to Bolton, scoring 16 goals in 91 games.

Spells with Swansea City, Stade de Reims, Panionios and Ross County followed before N’Gog rocked up at Budapest Honved in the summer. A truly (not) prolific career currently sees N’Gog sitting on 55 career goals in 303 club appearances.

9. Gabriel Obertan

Age: 29

Current club: Erzurumspor

Gabriel Obertan spent just over a year in the PSG academy between 2003-2004, although he is most fondly remembered for being one of Sir Alex Ferguson’s worst signings after the Frenchman moved to Old Trafford from Bordeaux in 2009.

Obertan made 28 mainly anonymous appearances for the Red Devils before leaving for Newcastle United in 2011. A nomadic career has seen the 29-year-old turn out in Russia and Bulgaria, with a short spell with Wigan Athletic sandwiched in-between, before he surfaced at Turkish Super Lig side Erzurumspor in January.

10. Patrice Evra

Age: 37

Current club: Free agent

Controversial, outspoken and a little strange – but undoubtedly successful – Patrice Evra’s career will be best remembered for his eight-year spell with Manchester United, where he won five Premier League titles and the 2008 Champions League.

Evra, an 81-time France international, has turned out for Juventus, Marseille and West Ham since, attacking fans and gaining a taste for raw chicken in the meantime. The 37-year-old is now a free agent.

With all of this success, combat and culinary experimentation, you’d be forgiven for not knowing that Evra came through the PSG youth ranks in 1997-1998.

11. Nicolas Anelka

Age: 39

Current club: Retired (Lille youth team manager)

You could make a strong case for Nicolas Anelka being the most high-profile graduate of the PSG academy in the modern era.

The pacey striker left the Parisians for Arsenal in 1997 and went on to turn out for Real Madrid, Liverpool, Man City, Fenerbahce, Bolton Wanderers, Chelsea, Shanghai Shenhua, Juventus, West Brom and Mumbai City, with another spell at PSG for good measure.

Anelka scored 210 goals at club level before retiring in 2015, with 14 goals in 50 caps for France, and won a number of league and European titles, as well as the Uefa European Championships in 2000. Now 39, Anelka is giving something back to young footballers as the manager of Lille’s youth team.

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