With interest mounting in Germany, Mathis Jangeal now faces competition from a third club. Following Hamburg and Frankfurt, Stuttgart has now entered the race for the Paris Saint-Germain prodigy, further increasing the pressure on the Parisian club.
Rumours are gathering momentum around Mathis Jangeal. Regarded as one of the greatest talents of Paris Saint-Germain’s 2008 generation, the 17-year-old attacking midfielder appears to be drifting further and further away from the club that nurtured him. With his youth contract set to expire at the end of the season, the Parisian youngster has received an offer for his first professional contract, but has not yet accepted it. Behind the scenes, several European clubs are sensing an opportunity and trying to convince the youth international to make the move this summer. The signals sent out in recent days suggest that his future may lie far from the French capital.
In recent weeks, two German clubs had already shown concrete interest. The Hamburg move had been mentioned in particular, with the German club keen to capitalise on the young Parisian’s potential to bolster its attack. At the same time, Eintracht Frankfurt was also monitoring the situation closely. This has only served to increase the pressure on PSG, especially as Jangeal is coming off a standout season with the Parisian youth side. Shining in the Coupe Gambardella with four goals and three assists in just five matches, he also played a part in the U19s’ European campaign in the Youth League, which came to an end in the semi-finals following a cruel encounter with Real Madrid. This progress even earned him a taste of first-team action under Luis Enrique, with a few appearances this season alongside Quentin Ndjantou, including one in the Champions League against FC Barcelona.
A third German club in the running
But the battle is only intensifying, as according to reports in L’Equipe, Stuttgart have now entered the fray. The German club are said to have recently presented their sporting project to the Jangeal family and are determined to make a serious bid for the highly sought-after player. Stuttgart see the young Parisian as a player capable of fitting quickly into their youth development strategy. The interest from this third suitor has now turned the situation into a genuine three-way race, with Germany clearly emerging as the most likely destination for the PSG youth product. The Bundesliga thus confirms its appetite for talent from the Parisian academy.
In recent years, the link between PSG and the Bundesliga has often served as a springboard for many young Parisian players. Players such as Christopher Nkunku at RB Leipzig, Moussa Diaby at Bayer Leverkusen and Tanguy Kouassi at Bayern Munich have chosen Germany to launch their careers at the highest level. More recently, El Chadaille Bitshiabu has also headed to Leipzig, confirming the appeal of the German league for young players trained in Paris. The Jangeal case is part of an already well-established trend, to which we can also add Xavi Simons at Leipzig or Hugo Ekitike and Junior Dina Ebimbe at Frankfurt. Whilst PSG deals with other sensitive cases within its youth academy, such as those of Ibrahim Mbaye or Senny Mayulu, foreign competition continues to draw directly from the source.
Paul Pogba’s bitter truths
Paul Pogba has broken his silence in an interview on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast. ‘La Pioche’ touched on a range of topics, not shying away from setting the record straight whilst getting everything off his chest.
In recent months, reports about Paul Pogba have often focused on his health. Having returned to the pitch a few days ago following yet another setback, the Frenchman is keen to help AS Monaco in the run-in to the end of the season, having so far made just four appearances in all competitions for his new club. He has played only 51 minutes this season. That is very little. But it was also a very serious possibility, as the World Cup winner had spent nearly two years out of action following his positive doping test whilst still a Juventus player. To make matters worse, the French international has also faced difficult times in his private life due to the blackmail and organised extortion case involving, notably, his older brother Matthias.
Pogba, who has remained tight-lipped on the subject, agreed to look back on that painful period on Rio Ferdinand’s podcast. “Family, family – there are differences, but they’ll always be your family, you know. It was tough, but being out of the football world, and in the way I was, you know, when people really change, they hear something and they don’t want to know the real story because they only read the papers. They see all these doping cases, the positive tests, the testosterone. They don’t want to know the truth. So they read that and that’s it. And they keep that in mind.” The midfielder admitted that it was harder for him to be sidelined from the football world than to go through the case itself, even though it was very difficult for him. He was able to count on the support of his mother, Yeo Moriba.
A difficult case and suspension to endure
“She’s the backbone of the family; she’s always there. I only have one mum, you know, I lost my dad. So, obviously, hearing all that talk was hard for her, really hard. She was always there, and as a mother, you know, she was there to give me strength; my family gave me strength, my wife, my children – seeing them helped me a lot.” He explained that his mother had been deeply affected by the issues between him and his brother. “To cut a long story short, she put on weight and then lost it. It was really difficult because, you know, when brothers argue and that sort of thing, the first ones to be affected are the parents. So, it was difficult for my mum. Obviously, and you have to be there for her, you know, life goes by quickly. I might have made a mistake. My brother knew he’d made one. But at the end of the day, she’s our mum and we have to make her happy.”
Next, the Frenchman spoke his mind about Manchester United – a club where he had two very different spells. In particular, he spoke about his time working with José Mourinho at the Red Devils. “It’s not about being nasty; I’ve got no issues with any manager. I always respect them, always. They tell me what to do. They’re the bosses. That’s the truth. They’re the bosses. They decide whether I play or not. At first, we got on really well; we’d send each other messages and all that. He’s a really funny bloke. A cracking chap. Honestly, he’s really special. And after a while, I think the injuries eventually caused that rift in our relationship. When the media keep asking him questions about me, it might make him think: ‘Right, is it over for him?’ And that’s my problem too, as with a lot of people, they love asking me questions. Always Paul, Paul, Paul, and that probably annoyed him.”
Pogba was no longer happy at MU
The midfielder then made a confession. “I spoke to Pat (Evra) and told him that everything’s different. The atmosphere is different. I said, when I left, that it wasn’t like that. You arrive at Manchester United with a clear idea of the club’s culture. And it was a bit… it was different. Even the food – everything inside was different. It was a bit odd. I told Pat I didn’t know if I’d see out my contract here, because I no longer felt it was the same. It wasn’t the same club as when I left.” The Frenchman also had to face a lot of criticism, particularly from Graeme Souness. But he admitted he didn’t know who he was and that he’d accepted his fate, having been treated less kindly than other players signed for astronomical sums: “You’re at United? What do you expect? It’s the biggest club or in the top three. Real Madrid and Manchester United, with the media, are pretty similar to me.”
He also admitted that people are sometimes harder on Manchester United players. “If Bruno Fernandes played for a team like Manchester City, he would undoubtedly be among the top three contenders for the Ballon d’Or. In football, if you don’t win trophies, you’re quickly forgotten. When you play for Manchester United, there’s always someone to criticise. But for those who really understand football, Bruno is a top-class player.” The Portuguese will appreciate that. Pogba, who also mentioned Kobbie Mainoo and Scott McTominay, looked back on his early days in Manchester, where he didn’t dare tackle the team’s stars until Evra gave him a shake, and spoke about his time at Monaco. He was the one who couldn’t even train with Juventus during his suspension.
He speaks about Monaco and Les Bleus
“I’m happy to be back and playing football again after everything that’s happened. I see football in a completely different light now. I’m enjoying myself. I want to make the most of it. And I wanted to join a young team here in Monaco. I’m one of the more experienced players, with the experience needed to help the team and also to enjoy myself, you know. What can we change? We can’t change anything. The past is behind us. All we can do is live in the moment.” Having faced his fair share of trials in recent years, Paul Pogba, who has never forgotten Les Bleus, looked back on his 2018 World Cup. “When I was young, I had a tape of the World Cup; I used to watch it with my dad. He passed away about a year before I won the World Cup. For me, winning it felt good (…) Why did I play so well at that time? I felt loved. Everyone there loved me. When you feel loved by everyone – the manager, the players and the staff, as well as the French media… For four years, I didn’t speak to the media, but Didier Deschamps told me to start talking to them.”
He finally spoke about his relationship with Kylian Mbappé. “Is there more to come from Kylian Mbappé? Winning the Ballon d’Or is just a matter of timing. For me, he’s been the best player all season. Now, he’s even scoring more goals than before. He scored more goals than Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldo Nazario in his first season at Real Madrid. He can only go higher; I’m not surprised.” Ferdinand then admitted to him that he’s never found Mbappé as good as when he plays alongside Pogba for the national team, and vice versa. Pogba tends to agree. “We understand each other. Sometimes I miss my shot and he still manages to get there, he’s so quick. I know the runs he makes.” But this summer, at the 2026 World Cup, La Pioche won’t be able to help the striker and Les Bleus, as he seems a long way from the French squad, despite his good relationship with DD.
