PSG evolution offers Tottenham chance to reignite forgotten reputation in Super Cup | OneFootball

They were European finals that could both be described as historic without accusations of exaggeration. Paris Saint-Germain qualified for Wednesday’s Super Cup by ending their long quest to win the Champions League, becoming the first French club in more than three decades to conquer Europe and, in their 5-0 demolition of Inter Milan, delivering one of the great final performances. It could rank with Barcelona’s evisceration of Manchester United in 2011 or AC Milan’s 4-0 humiliation of Barcelona’s Dream Team in 1994. It was a statement. It was unforgettable.

Whereas many outside N17 and the Tottenham Hotspur fanbase could be forgiven for trying to banish their memories of a May night in Bilbao. If the Champions League showpiece was an example of how football should be played, perhaps its Europa League counterpart was a demonstration of how it shouldn’t.

Spurs are entitled not to care about the carping. A club increasingly defined by not winning anything claimed a continental trophy, a place in the Champions League and, it soon transpired, a meeting with PSG in Udine.

Those very different finals could prompt fears for Spurs. The best team in Europe face the 17th best in England, if last season’s Premier League table is a guide.

No side had ever won a European trophy while registering such a low finish in their domestic league; that their opponents in Bilbao were a United team that came 15th only exacerbated the contrast between continental competitions, underachievers in England stumbling on in part because their resources dwarfed those of clubs from other countries.

The Europa League was not enough to keep Ange Postecoglou in a job. It means that, after the Australian ended Tottenham’s 17-year trophy drought, Thomas Frank could win one in his first game in charge. Or the Dane, who beat Champions League-winning managers in his time at Brentford, could get an illustration of the difficulties in competing with the European elite.

Certainly an era starts for Spurs. They had more continuity in years when they won nothing – apart, that is, from far more league games. The Europa League-winning manager and captain, Son Heung Min, are both gone. Frank’s rebuild has begun with the £55m signing of Mohammed Kudus and by borrowing Joao Palhinha; when he joined Bayern Munich a year ago, the Portuguese may have thought he would be playing in this fixture as a Champions League winner, but a ball-winner supreme should at least give Tottenham an upgrade in defensive midfield.

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Richarlison reacts as Spurs slump to a heavy defeat in Munich (AFP via Getty)

Frank is clearly searching for one in the attacking midfield areas, even beyond buying Kudus and making Mathys Tel’s loan from Bayern into a permanent deal. Interest has turned to Savinho and Eberechi Eze, though long-time watchers of Daniel Levy may be unsurprised that the Tottenham chairman has not completed his transfer business by the start of the season.

The supposed flagship signing of Morgan Gibbs-White saw Nottingham Forest commit their playmaker to a new contract amid threats of legal action against Spurs; instead of having too many No 10s, Spurs now have too few, with James Maddison injured.

Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain are pursuing a recruitment model that shows the transformative impact Luis Enrique has made. In 2017, their headline arrivals were Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Dani Alves. In 2021, they were Lionel Messi, Sergio Ramos and Gianluigi Donnarumma. Now the buys are Lucas Chevalier and Ilia Zabarnyi, neither exactly a Galactico. Going younger and less famous worked for Luis Enrique.

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Tottenham triumphed in the Europa League before dismissing Ange Postecoglou (Getty)

Zabarnyi, who some at Bournemouth had thought might end up at Liverpool as Virgil van Dijk’s long-term replacement, addresses one of the weaknesses in the PSG squad, the lack of a high-class alternative to Marquinhos and Willian Pacho, though he arrived too late to face Tottenham. Chevalier may indicate more of a change of direction.

While at Lille last season, the goalkeeper was voted into the Ligue 1 team of the year by his fellow professionals. Yet Donnarumma was arguably the best goalkeeper in the Champions League, his propensity to make big saves, some of them in shootouts, complementing PSG’s pace in attack and brio in midfield as they shrugged off their tag as a team that found a way to get knocked out.

Donnarumma has never been a perfect stylistic fit for Luis Enrique. He has been omitted from the Super Cup squad now; in the last year of his contract, it signals that PSG want a parting of the ways.

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Thomas Frank (centre) speaks with his players during a training session (AFP via Getty)

All of which could afford Spurs a chance. Donnarumma has served as the scourge of the English over the years. In 2025, PSG did, too, even if their last competitive game was a 3-0 defeat to Chelsea in the Club World Cup final, culminating in Joao Neves pulling Marc Cucurella’s hair. It means the midfielder is suspended now, but defeat at least brought the consolation of sparing them from Donald Trump intruding on their celebrations, while the Club World Cup means PSG have had far less of a pre-season than Spurs.

But for a club that won four trophies last season, normal service could soon be resumed. One of the damning facts about Spurs’ slide is that they have beaten fewer current Premier League clubs in 2025 than PSG; three to the French club’s four, as Southampton and Ipswich are now found in the Championship. First and foremost, Frank has been hired to address that domestic form. But those of a certain age can remember when Tottenham had the reputation as a cup team. Now the Super Cup affords them an opportunity to regain that.