Could Luis Enrique really leave Paris Saint-Germain this summer? Treble-winners' suprisingly poor form suggests all is not well at Parc des Princes

PSG's historic rout of Inter in last season's Champions League final was the culmination of a project that had begun back in 2012 when Qatar Sports Investments (QSI) took control of the club.

"I slept with the cup yesterday," PSG president and QSI chairman Nasser Al-Khelaifi said the morning after the night before. "I told myself that maybe it was a dream and when I woke up I said to myself, 'No, it's true!'"

However, while it understandably felt like a truly unbelievable end of an odyssey for PSG, the nature of the victory in Munich suggested that Europe might also be witnessing the start of a new era of dominance. After all, PSG hadn't just beaten Inter, they had destroyed them - and with a starting line-up boasting an average age of just 25 years old.

"We have a lot of young players - players who need to develop and I'm one of them," Desire Doue pointed out after becoming the first teenager to ever score twice in the final. "We are always going to strive to get better."

It was a terrifying thought for the rest of Europe - because, with Luis Enrique leading them, PSG's prodigies appeared to have every chance of realising their full potential.

It's arguably impossible to exaggerate the enormity of the impact Luis Enrique made at PSG after replacing Christophe Galtier as coach in the summer of 2023. He is, as Achraf Hakimi described him, "the man who changed everything" at the club - and to such an extent that the right-back says Luis Enrique altered the way in which the players viewed the game.

However, while also describing the former Spain coach as a tactical "genius" with a meticulous eye for detail who has helped him become "a more complete player", Hakimi has repeatedly hailed the former Barcelona boss' qualities as a man - and he's not alone in that regard.

"It's a pleasure to work with him," Doue said in Munich. "Tactically and mentally, he's an unbelievable coach - but he's also an unbelievable human being." Indeed, Vitinha says that Luis Enrique's greatest gift is being able to communicate with players in a meaningful and "natural" way.

Such testimonies help explain why PSG's players are willing to run through walls for their manager, and also able to drive opponents to the point of distraction with their relentless pressing. There's no denying, though, that PSG aren't producing their usual levels of intensity or efficacy so far this season - which is why they find themselves in the very unusual position of second place in Ligue 1.

Of course, the reigning champions are still only one point behind surprise leaders Lens, so it would be a major shock if they do not go on to win the title quite comfortably given the massive gulf in quality and strength in depth. Whether they can retain their continental crown is very much open to debate, though.

PSG were at the brilliant best when coming from behind to beat Barcelona back in October, but they were subsequently played off the pitch by Bayern Munich before Luis Diaz's sending-off just before the break in the Bavarians' fully-deserved 2-1 win at Parc des Princes on November 4.

We've also occasionally seen a formidable forward line struggle to find a way through deep-lying defences in recent weeks, most notably in Monday's shock 1-0 loss at home to city rivals Paris FC in the Coupe de France round of 32.

Luis Enrique argued that it would be a mistake to read too much into the derby defeat.

"I think it's a very easy game to analyse," the Spaniard said. "It was a very complete performance: we played very well, we worked hard and we dominated the game, so I don't see any problem with the match. Obviously, you have to score goals and we didn't score, but that's football. I'm very satisfied with what I saw collectively and individually. The result is unfair but we have to accept it.

"Maybe [it is a warning] but we were very superior throughout, so it's a strange result."

At the same time, Luis Enrique has admitted that this has been "a different kind of season" for PSG - one in which he's had to rely more heavily on PSG's plethora of promising academy products because of a spate of injuries to his established stars. 

"I can't remember a single match with the whole squad fit," the coach said back in November - and it's clear that participating in seven different competitions in 2025 (six of which they won) has taken a heavy toll on the squad.It was also inevitable that the lack of a proper pre-season programme caused by reaching the final of the Club World Cup would eventually catch up with them.

There is also a legitimate fear that PSG are as tired mentally as they are physically. For example, veteran captain Marquinhos spoke openly about going through "12 years of hardship and suffering" before finally getting his hands on the Champions League trophy - so a slight drop-off in intensity wouldn't just be possible, it would also be entirely understandable.

There's also the fact that Luis Enrique is an incredibly demanding coach - just ask Kylian Mbappe - and it's no coincidence that he's never spent more than three years in the one job. There's every chance, then, that he might feel that it's time to test himself in the Premier League, having already worked in La Liga and Serie A before arriving into Ligue 1.

He's unquestionably the kind of character that United need to restore order at Old Trafford, while it's not in the least bit surprising to hear him being touted as a possible successor for Slot at Anfield, or Guardiola at the Etihad. He's certainly held in the highest esteem in England, where pundits were lining up to sing his praises after watching his striker-less PSG side dismantle Inter's renowned defence at the Allianz Arena.

"Does Luis Enrique deserve to be mentioned in the same breath as Carlo Ancelotti, Jose Mourinho or Pep Guardiola? The answer is yes," Liverpool legend Steven Gerrard said on TNT Sports. "This team he has created and put together over the past year or two can beat you in any given way. The talent across this squad - it is a special group of players, but they're getting coached by a special person as well."

Whether Luis Enrique would really want to walk away from the PSG project when his contract expires this summer is highly debatable - and not just because he's done an outstanding job alongside sporting director Luis Campos in changing the focus of the project from signing superstars to developing them. By his own admission, he has developed a "very strong connection" with both his players and the club's fans, who so memorably unveiled a tifo in honour of his daughter Xana, who passed away at the age of nine in 2019, shortly after the full-time whistle in Munich.

"I always think about Xana, but it was very emotional at the end with the banner," Luis Enrique said. "Our fans were our 12th man on the pitch and the great team we have reflects the supporters.

"On my first day at PSG, when my French was even worse than it is now, I said my ultimate goal was to fill the trophy cabinet. The only trophy that was missing was the Champions League, and here we are."

If winning one European Cup was enough for Luis Enrique, though, he would have walked away last summer. He clearly wants more. His stated objective is "to continue trying to conquer the footballing world" - and that's a goal he shares with Al-Khelaifi & Co., which is why the recent reports that PSG are trying to tie him down to a 'life-time' deal appear far more plausible than those claiming he's already decided against extending his stay at Parc des Princes beyond the summer.

As Luis Enrique said himself only this week, "There are always rumours always going around PSG, a lot of fake news. They are trying to destabilise the players and the team, but it is not going to happen."

So, while the coaching market is being reshuffled, Luis Enrique still seems perfectly happy with the hand he's been dealt in the French capital - which is bad news for not only PSG's Champions League rivals, but also those clubs hoping to hire their beloved coach.