PSG already have their next Mbappe – his name is Bradley Barcola

Robin Bairner

• 13 Feb 2024 07:59 CST
• 8 min read

Regardless of which direction Kylian Mbappe’s future takes in the summer, PSG increasingly appear to have the insurance of a budding superstar waiting in the wings to replace the France star.

PSG beat competition from Chelsea to sign Bradley Barcola from Lyon in the summer, paying no less than €45 million to prise the winger away from the Rhone giants.

What the 21-year-old had shown in the second half of the 2022/23 season justified the price. Barcola had exploded onto the scene in Ligue 1, combining expertly with Alexandre Lacazette for OL and establishing himself as one of the greatest prospects in the self-styled League of Talents.

PSG ultimately moved for the youngster, whose decision to move to the capital raised eyebrows given that he was apparently going into direct competition with Mbappe and Ousmane Dembele in Paris.

Luis Enrique’s decision to play Mbappe through the centre – something that the France star is not happy with – has had the happy benefit of opening the door for Barcola to shine.

Joining late in August proved a challenge for the youngster, who made his PSG bow against Lyon off the bench on 3 September. His start to life at Parc des Princes was slow – a disastrous performance off the bench against Newcastle in a 1-1 draw was undoubtedly a setback – but after netting his first goal a week later he is now starting to carve a niche as a starting player in what is a highly competitive attacking unit.

“When you recruit a young player, you recruit him for his qualities and his performances. The unknown is always knowing how much time he will need to adapt to a bigger club. It's always like that with a young player, but also a veteran player. Some arrive at a big club and fail to adapt, they never play. For Bradley, we are very happy,” Luis Enrique said.

In particular, Barcola has profited from Kang In-Lee’s absence due to the Asian Cup, scoring once and creating three goals in five appearances since the beginning of the year.

Barcola a star on the rise

His increasingly important status in the squad was highlighted in the weekend’s 3-1 victory over Lille as he was dropped to the bench to be preserved for the midweek Champions League clash against Real Sociedad.

He found himself in excellent company among the reserves, with Marquinhos, Achraf Hakimi, Warren Zaire-Emery and, of course, Kylian Mbappe among the key players who received limited minutes or were not used at all.

Barcola was given the final 30 minutes and sealed the points for PSG with a brilliant assist that left Randal Kolo Muani with an unmissable opportunity.

The manner in which he gathered the ball and fearlessly attacked his defender at pace was typical of what he has been doing in recent weeks as he has become more accustomed to his surroundings. The manner in which he did it was also reminiscent of Mbappe.

Barcola does not carry the same direct threat to goal as his elder teammate, but he is showing a capacity to be almost as equally devastating with his pace and directness.

“I have more and more trust from everyone, from the coach and my teammates,” Barcola admitted. “This confidence from the coach free me. I can only play well like that.

“I arrived at PSG late in the transfer window, so I had things to do to catch up. Today, I’m more comfortable with Kylian and the more I play the better I feel. He knows what I want and I’m starting to know what he wants too.”

PSG quietly performed some excellent business in the transfer market in the summer but Barcola is starting to look like the pick of their deals.