The 6 biggest challenges facing Mauricio Pochettino at PSG

When the manager of a club the size of Paris Saint-Germain gets given the boot, usually the rumour mill goes into overdrive, with countless names thrown into the mix as the departed boss' potential successor.

However, when Thomas Tuchel was shown the Parc des Princes exit door, there was no such furore - immediately Mauricio Pochettino emerged as favourite, and that was that.

The former Tottenham boss has now officially been named as Tuchel's replacement, penning an 18-month deal at the club he represented as a player for two years before leaving for Bordeaux back in 2003.

While taking the reins at a club who made it to the Champions League final less than five months ago might sound like a pretty easy gig, the Argentine tactician has quite the job on his hands, with a number of issues surrounding contracts and players' futures up in the air.

Let's take a look at the biggest challenges facing Pochettino as he takes the PSG hot seat.

1. Secure the futures of Kylian Mbappe & Neymar

Undoubtedly the biggest challenge facing Pochettino upon his arrival in Paris.

PSG have lofty ambitions of becoming European football's elite club, but if they're to achieve those ambitions then they need to keep hold of the superstars in their squad.

Real Madrid have made no secret of their pursuit of Kylian Mbappe, with 90min exclusively revealing recently that Los Blancos are confident of securing a deal for the Frenchman.

Meanwhile, Neymar will of course be crucial to any success PSG have in the future, and if Pochettino can convince the pair to pen new deals at Parc des Princes he'll be well on his way to becoming a success as the club.

2. Trim the wage bill

PSG have got a lot of good players within their squad who just aren't getting the game time to warrant their excessive wages.

Players like Julian Draxler and Juan Bernat are on good money but have seen their playing time limited due to injury problems and competition in their respective positions.

If PSG want to become a force in Europe as well as domestically then they could do with a few stellar additions, and trimming the wage bill will help them fulfil their goals. Speaking of which...

3. Convince Lionel Messi to move to France

Well, signing this man would probably count as one of the aforementioned 'stellar additions'.

Neymar has spoken of his desire to link up with Lionel Messi once again, with the Brazilian suggesting his PSG future could be dependant on the club securing the Barcelona man's signature.

At 33 Messi is no spring chicken, but his quality combined with the fact his arrival could secure the services of Neymar beyond his current contract's expiry date, mean he would, of course, be a brilliant signing.

4. Ensure the club make it 4 consecutive French titles

The Ligue 1 title has become something of a custom at PSG these days, being crowned champions in seven of the past eight seasons.

However, Tuchel's departure came off the back of an underwhelming start to the current league campaign, with the Parisians trailing leaders Lyon and second-placed Lille.

The gap between PSG and the top of the table is only one point, but with the season almost at the halfway stage, PSG need to find some consistency if they're to retain their title.

5. Go one better than last season's Champions League exploits

While PSG will of course be desperate to retain their Ligue 1 crown, European glory is where their heart truly lies.

Neymar and co were within one game of being crowned Champions League winners last season, but came up short when they faced the best team in Europe - funny that.

While the record books will show PSG as runners-up, in truth they were a distant second to Hansi Flick's Bayern Munich juggernaut, and Pochettino has got his work cut out if he's to bring the club the European glory they're so desperate for.

6. Add more youth to the squad

PSG's squad contains a lot of players who are either in their prime or are in the twilight of their career, with very few up-and-coming players plying their trade at Parc des Princes, with many jumping ship in recent years over understandable game-time concerns.

20-year-old Mitchel Bakker and 22-year-old Colin Dagba are the two who are currently getting regular minutes. While that's all well and good for now, in a few years time there'll be a lot of players who are well past their best, and they need to start looking to the future.

If Pochettino can add some youth to the roster it will set them up nicely for the years to come (of course this makes the signing of Messi seem a ridiculous point to have made, but he doesn't count when it comes to logical debates, he's the exception to the rule).