It took two summers and a few transfer windows but Georginio Wijnaldum’s exit from Liverpool has finally gone through and Paris Saint-German is where he will ply his trade for the next three years.
Gini has reached an agreement with PSG as the club happily announced he has joined them on a three-year plan, keeping him there until 2024.
A post, written by myself, after Gini said his final goodbyes at Anfield was written with the assumption that the Dutchman would land up at Camp Nou with Barcelona.
After all, they were the only team being mentioned for a lengthy spell to be in for the then out-of-contract Liverpool midfielder.
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As the time drew closer for Gini’s contract to expire, which was at the beginning of June, a couple of new teams were thrown into the mix. Joining Barca in the Wijnaldum race was Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-German.
The former was an agreement away from penning a deal with him but in stepped the Parisians with a better offer and just like that, I’m here writing about another snub by the Dutchman.
Jurgen Klopp on Wijnaldum:
"Farewell, Gini. You came, you saw, you won the lot. You’re a Liverpool legend, now and forever."
Why did Gini snub Barcelona?
Well firstly, the Spanish side was quite arrogant and premature to let the rest of Europe and the world know they will be acquiring his services for less than what the Reds were paying him – announcing they will get the 30-year-old at a lower salary rate.
Then, there is Paris who used this information to their advantage and swooped in with an undeniable offer.
An offer that sees him earn a reported £165,000 per week for the next three years, which works out to a reported annual salary of around £8.6 million after-tax deductions.
"According to Dutch publication De Telegraaf, the 30-year-old will earn €10 million per year after tax at PSG, which is worth around £8.6 million – or £165,000 a week.Wages are more often than not reported as before tax, which in England would have seen Wijnaldum’s new wage increase to £16.2 million a year, or £311,000 a week. (Via: thisisanfield.com)"
Before leaving Anfield he was earning £75,000 per week. If he’d get the same increase while at Liverpool, he would have become the club’s highest earner above Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk.
So it is clear and obvious enough to notice that money changed his mind. Add this with the factor he is about to join one of the best attacks in Europe, you got an amazing hand to play and convince your man Paris is the place to be.
So what exactly did we learn about Gini’s move to PSG?
We’ve learnt that money still holds the power in transfers and regardless of what he had to say about his now previous club Liverpool and his reasons for leaving, he was still after the money.
His move also tells us that even though the Reds were unwilling to meet his demands, some of Europe’s powerhouses still regard him as one of the best midfielders in the world of football.