Matt Maher: Premier League has shown its power in Europe - and that may not be healthy
One truism in football is money, eventually, talks.
While there might be countless examples of clubs spending big and falling flat on their face, the fact is those with the deepest pockets typically enjoy the greatest success.
Keep splashing the cash and at some point you’ll get it right. For the latest proof, look no further than Paris Saint-Germain.
After more than a decade of trying to win the Champions League and failing despite being bankrolled by Qatari billions which allowed them to recruit the best players on the planet, the Parisien club appears to have finally hit the jackpot.
Out have gone Mbappe, Messi and Neymar and in have come some of the game’s brightest young talents, to form a team which is just one step away from confirming itself the best in Europe this season.
Yet gor all the plaudits PSG have received for ditching the megastars, the new approach has not exactly been cheap. Ousmane Dembele, Desire Doue and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, who together form perhaps the most fearsome (certainly the quickest) forward line on the continent, were all signed for fees in excess of £40million. The latter’s January move from Napoli is thought to have cost around £57m. Not exactly the stuff of fairytales.
Another view, however, is to consider the fact it has needed a State-owned club to deny the Premier League complete domination in Europe this season.
Were it not for PSG knocking out Liverpool, Villa and Arsenal in succession there is a very real chance all three European trophies - the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League - would have been heading to English soil.
One is already guaranteed to, with Manchester United and Tottenham facing off next Wednesday in the Europa League final, while Chelsea will be favourites to beat Real Betis and win the Conference League the following midweek.
