There’s a good chance that Lee Kang-In and Kylian Mbappe (Paris Saint-Germain-PSG) could finally be playing together. Mbappe’s future, which was uncertain at the start of the season, has taken a turn for the better with his recent return to first-team training. Lee, who struggled in the opening game against Lorient and was criticized locally, could not have asked for a more reliable partner.
Mbappe returned to first-team training on July 13 and has been training with the team ever since. He joined the team a day after the opening game of the 2023-24 French Ligue 1 season against Lorient. Mbappe, who watched the game from the stands the day before, trained with Lee Kang-in and other players. After not traveling with the team throughout the preseason, including a trip to Busan, Mbappe only began to gel once the season began.
It seems that he has managed to resolve his conflict with the club, which was at the peak of its intensity. It all started with Mbappe wanting to leave the club on a free transfer. Mbappe’s contract with PSG expires next summer. PSG wanted to extend his contract, but Mbappe repeatedly rejected the idea. Eventually, PSG pushed for a move this summer. If Mbappe were to leave through the expiration of his contract next summer, the club would not receive any transfer fee revenue. They would even have to pay him a hefty bonus under the terms of his contract. That’s why PSG wanted to get rid of him as soon as possible.
But Mbappe’s stance didn’t change. He refused to re-sign and refused to leave the club this summer. Saudi Arabia offered an astronomical transfer fee for the player, but Mbappe rejected the offer. PSG were left with little choice as he was technically under contract. Having spent a whopping €180 million on Mbappe in 2018, they were forced to let him walk for free next year. The decision to leave Mbappe off the preseason roster and out of first-team training was made in the hopes that he would change his mind and choose to stay or go.
Fortunately, in dramatic fashion, the conflict began to unravel. Before the Lorient game, the two sides sat down at the negotiating table. In the words of PSG, the conversation was constructive and positive. Mbappe then joined the first team training. Reports have also started to emerge locally that discussions have already begun on a possible contract extension. “PSG is confident Mbappe will stay,” ESPN reported. The terms of the contract are unknown, but the odds are in favor of a normalized partnership, at least for this season. It’s a welcome turnaround from the start of the season, which saw him excluded from first-team training.
While Neymar’s move to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal, another world-class striker, is in the early stages of being finalized, the return of Mbappe would add a lot of weight to the PSG attack. Mbappe has a staggering 212 goals and 98 assists in 260 career appearances for PSG. The Ligue 1 top scorer for five consecutive seasons and top scorer at the World Cup in Qatar last year, having a world-class fixer up front could be one of PSG’s most potent weapons.
Mbappe’s return to the team is a welcome one, as is Lee’s. It would mean having a striker up front who can work well together. Lee started the Ligue 1 opener against Lorient but was virtually alone in the attack. While the likes of Gonzalo Hamus and Marco Asensio were criticized by the locals, Lee was applauded.
Lee started on the right flank and made his presence felt. He showed off his ability to dribble between defenders, make sharp passes, and break pressure. His passing success rate reached 88%, and he was also recognized for his sharp kicking ability, as he took charge of set pieces. The French Ligue 1 secretariat chose Lee as the Man of the Match after the game, a sign of his dominance.
The only reason Lee wasn’t smiling was because his team had to settle for a goalless draw. PSG had a whopping 78% possession and a 20-4 advantage in shots on goal, but were unable to find the back of the net. Lee Kang-in’s struggles were also highlighted. In particular, Lee attempted 12 crosses in the game, of which only two were on target. Instead of calling his crosses inaccurate, French media outlet Footmercato wrote that “there was no one in PSG who could receive his sharp crosses”. The implication is that his crosses were good, but they weren’t supported by his teammates.
Mbappe had already squandered a number of attacking opportunities at Mallorca due to poor decision-making by his teammates, and there were fears that this would happen again. At the time, the chances of Mbappe’s return were slim, and with Neymar also being linked with a move away, the weight of the attacking line was greatly reduced.바카라
Now that Mbappe is back, it’s a big boost for Lee. The expectation of a goal from Mbappe, or vice versa, is high, as Lee’s passes have been in the spotlight since he joined PSG. The presence of a sure-fire goal scorer could make Lee’s passes even sharper. Mbappe, who was the Ligue 1’s top assists man, could be the one to finish Lee’s passes. His attacking points would go through the roof. That would be great for Lee, too.