Boules d'or! David Beckham arrives at Paris Saint-Germain

What a day. Just as Paris Saint-Germain's transfer window was shaping up to be quieter than a nun's birthday party, the club dropped a massive news bomb on us earlier today by snapping up former England skipper David Beckham. Since leaving LA Galaxy, 37-year-old Becks has been chased by some teams you've never heard of all the world's top clubs, but finally decided to eschew the delights of playing in Australia or the Middle East in order to have a shot at glory in Paris. "I'm very lucky to have so many offers at 37 years of age. In the last few months, I feel like I've received more crap offers than throughout my entire career," noted D-Beck at his grand unveiling, which took place earlier this afternoon. Interestingly he didn't get the grand Eiffel Tower treatment...

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PSG 1-0 LOSC Lille: La chance du Champions?

"The Luck of Champions?" That's the question posed by the headline on the L'Equipe site this morning, after Paris Saint-Germain returned to the top of the Ligue 1 pile with a somewhat fortunate victory over Lille at the Parc-des-Princes. After seeing the visitors hit the woodwork, have a seemingly legitimate goal ruled out for offside, and squander a number of promising positions, it's hard to argue with them, but there's still a long way to go; after all, it's only goal difference which keeps Les Rouges-et-Bleu ahead of Lyon. "We were lucky today, but we haven't had it on other occasions," noted Salvatore Sirigu in his post-match interview. Having now broken the club record for Ligue 1 minutes without conceding, previously held by Bernard Lama, Sirigu probably feels he is entitled to the...

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PSG 3-1 Toulouse: Coupe de France progression assured as Rabiot eyes move

Paris Saint-Germain booked their place in the last-16 of the Coupe de France with a comfortable victory over Toulouse at the Parc-des-Princes. We have a good record against Alain Casanova's side in recent seasons, so it was no surprise when Kevin Gameiro shot us into the lead in the eighth minute, profiting from some good work by Blause Matuidi and a low cross from Ezequiel Lavezzi to slot home from eight yards. Franck Tabanou's header levelled matters against the run of play ten minutes later, but PSG took charge again after half-time. Gameiro had to be withdrawn ("a slight muscle strain" said Carletto afterwards) but his replacement, Jeremy Menez, was in electric form, and spent 45 minutes terrorising the TFC back-line. Three minutes after the break Jezza's through ball found Javier Pastore...

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So long Lugano; PSG's Dorian Gray is Leonardo's latest failure

It has long been my suspicion that Diego Lugano has a secret picture of himself hidden away in his attic. Given the form he’s showed during his rare appearances for Paris Saint-Germain in the last 18 months, I imagine the portrait of Uruguayan defender is hideously disfigured; there can be no other explanation for his steadfastly youthful good looks other than that he sold his soul some years ago and is actually 67. Lugano, age supposedly 32, left the Parc-des-Princes yesterday bound for the sunnier climes of Malaga, who have taken him on loan until the end of the season with an option to buy. One can only assume this an extreme act of charity from one Qatari-owned side to another because, as Jonathan Johnson notes in this piece, it’s difficult to name one positive contribution he’s...

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Bordeaux 0-1 PSG: Girondins Zlatan-ised as Parisiens regain top spot

It's been a difficult week at Paris Saint-Germain following the death of fitness coach Nick Broad in a car accident on Thursday. I always find it extremely trite when people say that incidents like this "put football into perspective"; it surely doesn't require a death to highlight the importance of sport in the grand scheme of things. But what is certainly true is that this is a tragic event for Nick's family and friends, may he rest in peace. Carletto, assistant coach Paul Clement, and the players were visibly shaken before the match with Bordeaux, with a minute's silence held in the Stade Delmas. But they pulled themselves together and claimed the three points which took them back to the top of the Ligue 1 table. PSG were a bit understrength for the match, with central defenders Thiago...

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PSG vs Ajaccio: Lucas Moura ready for debut

Lucas in the gym. Thanks for that google. According to a poll of 100 Ligue 1 players conducted by Le Parisien this week, 76 per cent of those questioned thought that Paris Saint-Germain would win the title this season. Even for the perpetually pessimistic French this seems to me to be a unnecessarily fatalistic outlook with half a season still to play, but you can see where they're coming from: while other leading contenders such as Lyon and Marseille are more concerned about who will be leaving this January, PSG are getting to show off their latest expensive recruit, Lucas Moura. The Brazilian, who arrived from Sao Paolo is set to make his debut against Ajaccio tonight, with Javier Pastore or Jeremy Menez making way. PSG will be much...

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Don't Hoarau be happy: PSG striker snubs Premier League for China

Last week I was thinking about starting a new game called Where's Hoarau? It would've involved finding our gangly hero (bobble hat optional) amidst a crowded scene of football clubs fighting for his attention. Sadly the game has lost a lot of its marketing potential now that the chief protagonist, Paris Saint-Germain striker Guillaume Hoarau, has decided on a new club. When the 28-year-old departed early from PSG's Qatar training last week, it sparked a speculation-fest in the media, with various reports having him travel to England, the Middle East and China for talks with interested clubs that apparently included Everton and Sunderland. No one seemed to know what his actual destination was, and the player himself added to the confusion...

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Stupid PSG pictures of the week: Momo Sissoko's trip to Qatar

Happy New Year readers, hope you've enjoyed a good start to 2013. Paris Saint-Germain's players and assorted hangers-on staff returned to France last night after escaping the winter blues at a hot weather jolly training camp in Qatar. While they were there they managed a 5-1 win over Qatari league champions Lekhwiya, with goals from Lavezzi (2), Gameiro, Nene and Menez. The match also saw Lucas Moura make his first appearance in a PSG shirt following his big-money move from Sao Paulo. Also enjoying himself in the sun has been Momo Sissoko, who hasn't let his current position at the bottom of the PSG midfield pecking order get to him too much. I've discovered that Momo's Twitter account is jam-packed with visual gold. Exhibit A, his profile...

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