June 12 – Paris Saint-Germain have reshuffled their sporting directors with the arrival of Antero Henrique and the departure of Patrick Kluivert as the club seek to reboot after a season of regression.
Kluivert arrived at the Parc des Princes in July 2016, but his appointment had always been a mystifying move by PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi. The Dutchman had neither the experience nor the network to fulfill the role of director of football.
His eleven months at the club didn’t leave a lasting mark and last week Kluivert and PSG parted ways. “By mutual agreement, Paris St Germain and Patrick Kluivert have taken the decision to end, effective as of Friday June 9, the contract that bound them,” read a club statement. “As part of the restructuring of the club’s sporting sector, the two parties ended their collaboration on Wednesday.”
Kluivert was offered an ambassadorial role at PSG, but declined. “I am quietly going to look for another job in football,” he told Dutch daily De Telegraaf. “My heart belongs on the pitch.”
This season PSG regressed with a second round elimination in the Champions League and a runners-up spot in Ligue 1. They did still win the the French Cup and the Trophee des Champions, but by their own lofty standards the season was a disappointment.
The Parisians have moved swiftly to bring in Antero Henrique from Porto as the new sporting director. He replaces Oliver Letang, who resigned in April. The Portuguese, 49, has been in line to take the role since May when PSG failed in their attempts to lure Andrea Berta from Atletico Madrid.
“I cannot wait to put my experience to good use for the Club, which in just a few years, has become one of the best in Europe,” said Henrique. “My ambition, my motivation, is to work every day to create a winning dynamic able to keep PSG at the highest level in the long term.”
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