Not yet a great club, PSG signs big coup with Neymar

New Paris Saint-Germain signs Neymar during a press conderence in Paris Aug 4, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

While the willingness to shatter the world transfer record is clear enough, Neymar's arrival is harder to understand from a sporting standpoint.

Following Ibrahimovic's departure to Manchester United last summer, Cavani thrived as PSG's main striker — finishing the season as the French league's top scorer and bagging a remarkable 49 goals in 50 games across all competitions.
With Neymar joining coach Unai Emery's system, it remains to be seen whether Cavani will be able to reproduce those impressive figures, especially if the Brazil forward, who can play on both wings, is used in a more central position.
Neymar's arrival has also left many observers wondering why the club hasn't invested in other positions, since PSG's attacking force was clearly not a problem last season.

A pair of top-class defensive midfielders to help protect a shaky back four that conceded six goals to Neymar's former team during a dismal Champions League night last season would seem to be a far more pressing need. Replacing the error-prone Kevin Trapp with a star goalkeeper might also have been a better investment for a club that has made winning the Champions League a very public objective.

However, as a public relations exercise, hiring Neymar definitely has a lot of benefits.

Along with selling tens of thousands of Neymar Jr. jerseys, the Brazilian's arrival will help club president Nasser Al-Khelaifi in his efforts to promote the slick image of a fashionable club that is determined to succeed on the world stage.

Off the pitch, QSI has helped to rid the Parc des Princes stadium of its most violent supporters and has brought sporting stability as well as top quality players to PSG.