Will Luis Enrique leave PSG at the end of this season? The case for and against

Luis Enrique has never spent more than three years in the same job, having left both his roles as manager of Barcelona and of Spain after the three-year mark (his other, previous jobs, lasted even less time). With this summer marking the third anniversary of his arrival at PSG, some Parisian fans will be worried about Enrique’s future at the club after next Saturday’s Champions League final against Arsenal.

Could Luis Enrique leave PSG at the end of the season?

Were Enrique and PSG to win a second successive Champions League in Paris, it would be hard to imagine a better way to go out for Enrique, although a record equalling three-peat would then become a very real possibility, with the Spanish coach even mentioning retirement in some recent press conferences, to the dismay of the PSG faithful. It would then perhaps present the perfect opportunity for Enrique to leave on a high and seek out new challenges, in and out of the footballing world.

However, it’s also fair to point out that in contrast to Enrique’s last season’s at Barcelona and his last World Cup in Spain, this has been a very successful period for PSG so far – which would be crowned by a potential win next week. Enrique’s 2017 Barca side, while excellent, were beaten to the La Liga title by Real Madrid and were knocked out of the Champions League by Juventus, and his Spain side at the World Cup were knocked out dissapointingly early by dark horses Morocco. In both cases, there was a sense that Enrique had underperformed with the resources at his disposal, and, despite previous successes in both jobs (especially at Barca), his popularity with the fans was more diluted than it now is in Paris, whereas he is unquestionably loved.

Another factor that points towards Enrique continuing in Paris is the fact that most jobs that he could feasibly take on are currently unavailable. Manchester United, linked consistently with Enrique, have appointed Michael Carrick on a permanent basis, and their city rivals Manchester City look set to appoint Enzo Maresca as the successor to Pep Guardiola – the man who Enrique followed on from at Barcelona. Other potential jobs across Europe seem unavailable at the moment, so it doesn’t really make sense for Enrique to leave Paris unless he wishes a break from football altogether.

The PSG ownership, however, will probably be less than pleased and the continuous uncertainty surrounding Enrique’s situation and will look to have him sign a new deal as quickly as possible, in order to reduce speculation of a future exit. Were Enrique to leave, regardless of next week’s result he would go down as one of, if not the greatest PSG manager of all time, having delivered a Champions League trophy along with a style of play and identity fit to dominate Europe for a long time.

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