PARIS: Paris Saint-Germain coach Carlo Ancelotti on Saturday revealed that he believes veteran Englishman David Beckham will stay with the Ligue 1 club beyond the end of his current contract, which expires in the summer.
Reports in Britain on Saturday suggested that Beckham — who has started just one Ligue 1 game — was mulling over a one-year contract extension and Ancelotti reckons the now-38-year-old still has something to offer.
“I think he will stay,” the Italian said. “He has lost pace but has improved tactically. He always shows the right attitude and is not so young anymore but is still playing at the age of 38.
“He is very professional, focuses on his work and still has something to offer as a player.” Ancelotti’s own future has been the subject of much speculation with the Italian being strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid if and when Jose Mourinho departs the Santiago Bernabeu.
However, he was remaining coy on the matter on Saturday.
“I am still hesitating. I am not sure,” he responded when asked if he had made any decisions on his future.
“There is no news. The season is not finished and I will need to speak to the club at the end of the campaign. There are lots of rumors going around but nothing has been done. We have not yet organized any meeting with the club but that will come.” PSG go to Lyon on Sunday night knowing they need only match Marseille’s result at home to Toulouse on Saturday to become Ligue 1 champions.
Indeed, if OM lose against Toulouse, the capital club will even be confirmed as champions without kicking a ball.
Ancelotti’s side betrayed signs of tension in last week’s 1-1 home draw with Valenciennes but the coach insists such feelings are normal as PSG close in on the club’s first French league title in 19 years.
“The closer the title gets, the more concern there is,” he said. “It’s normal because we feel we have worked very hard, and now we just need one last effort.”
Ancelotti hopeful Beckham will stay at PSG
Ancelotti hopeful Beckham will stay at PSG
Premier League ready? Wrexham takes on world champion Chelsea in the FA Cup
- The prospect of playing the likes of Chelsea every week is not just the hope for Wrexham’s owners but the mission
- “They said that from day one and everyone laughed at them,” Williamson said
LONDON: Next up for Wrexham are world champion Chelsea.
While a place in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup is at stake when the teams face off at the Racecourse Ground on Saturday, for Wrexham it will be a timely gauge of just how “Premier League-ready” it is.
Speaking to industry experts last week, Wrexham CEO Michael Williamson said the Welsh club — owned by actors Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney — would be ready for the topflight of English soccer when the time comes. Even as soon as next season, just three years after they were playing non-league.
“What we’ve proven is that with our culture we’re pretty damn good at being ready,” Williamson told the FT Business of Football Summit.
Even with celebrity owners, huge financial backing and a global reach through the fly-on-the-wall documentary series “Welcome to Wrexham,” it cannot be overstated just how remarkable the club’s rise has been.
Back-to-back promotions have taken them from playing non-league games in a crumbling stadium to the second-tier Championship and in contention for the playoffs to the Premier League.
The prospect of playing the likes of Chelsea every week is not just the hope for Wrexham’s owners but the mission.
“They said that from day one and everyone laughed at them,” Williamson said. “We know what we have to do. It’ll be really difficult but we can do it because we’ve proven that we can, not just survive when we get promoted, but that we can actually thrive.”
Wrexham’s meteoric rise has meant they have constantly played catchup to try to keep pace with their on-field success. More than 60 players have been signed since the takeover was completed in 2021, with 16 joining last summer to build a squad capable of competing in a division with former Premier League champion Leicester and a host of clubs with very recent topflight experience.
Even still, the spending is nothing like that of England’s topflight. Nathan Broadhead became Wrexham’s record signing in August for a reported $10 million. Before him, Sam Smith cost a reported $2.7 million.
Compare that to Chelsea, which have spent close to $2 billion under American owners Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital since buying the club in 2022. That money helped Chelsea win the Club World Cup last year — but they have not come close to winning the Premier League and they could miss out on qualification to the Champions League this season.
Strive to survive
Wrexham’s spending is likely to have to increase significantly again to bridge the widening gap between the Premier League and the Championship, with promoted teams increasingly struggling to make the step up.
Last season, all three promoted teams — Leicester, Ipswich, Southampton — were relegated. The year before, Sheffield United, Burnley and Luton all failed to survive in their first season in the topflight.
“We’d have to look at a squad change and we’re definitely planning that,” Williamson said in the event of Wrexham securing a fourth straight promotion.
While player changes have been frequent, manager Phil Parkinson has been a constant and was recently told by McElhenney that he has a job for life.
His immediate focus is on an FA Cup upset against Chelsea.
“We’ll be going all out to produce a really good performance, and we’ll see where that takes us on the night,” he told the North Wales Chronicle. “But we know we’ve got to respect Chelsea. What a squad of players they’ve got. They’ve spent billions over the last 10 years.
“They are Club World Cup champions — I don’t think we should forget that — so statistically we are playing the best club in the world.”
