Neymar didn’t want to see Lucas head to Tottenham
The never-ending soap opera connecting Neymar with a sensational move to Real Madrid may be taking a stunning turn due to Tottenham. Spurs’ purchase of Lucas Moura from PSG could serve as a flash point igniting the tension between Neymar and his current club.
Reports from France allege that Lucas’ lack of opportunities at PSG really irritated Neymar. Predictably, the Brazilian talisman didn’t want to see his countryman leave in January. Lucas’ departure is reportedly symptomatic of manager Unai Emery’s displeasure with the influence of Brazilians in his dressing room.
Given all that PSG have invested in Neymar, it seems pretty foolish to isolate him. Surely Emery could have found a way to provide Lucas with a bit more playing time. It’s understandable that he was relegated to the bench behind Neymar and Kylian Mbappe, but freezing him out of the squad so completely was an odd choice by the PSG boss.
It’s very possible that we could look back on Lucas’ departure as the first concrete sign that Neymar is ready to leave PSG. Rumours connecting him to a big-money move to Real Madrid are a regular feature of every Spanish newspaper. The idea is slowly gaining real traction across the rest of Europe as well.
PSG’s utter inability to cope with Real Madrid on the Champions League pitch last week didn’t help things either. Neymar is used to lining up with a squad whose talent can rival anyone at any time. His team at PSG lacks that sort of elite talent. Truthfully, he may need to move back to Real Madrid if he wants to be surrounded by the same level of world-class talent that he played with at Barcelona.
At the very least, Emery will need to tread carefully around Neymar for the foreseeable future. Rather than isolating him with his countryman, Emery should be making a real attempt to bring Neymar into his confidence. His best chance at keeping the PSG job over the long haul is to win Neymar over as a strong ally.
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To date, Emery seems completely oblivious to that reality. He may be an excellent tactician, but so far his man management in Paris has been atrocious. Emery may rue the day he let Lucas walk out the door to head to Tottenham. Every goal he scores for Spurs will be a cold reminder to Neymar and his Brazilian teammates of Emery’s choice to sell their friend and compatriot. It could easily be the beginning of the end of Neymar’s brief tenure in the French capital.