Mauro Icardi has finally landed at PSG, but what’s next?

Mauro Icardi has finally left Inter Milan for Paris Saint Germain. Here’s how the French club plan to use him this season.

The final day of the European summer transfer window was highlighted by Mauro Icardi’s loan deal to PSG. For Inter Milan, the deal means ridding themselves of a player they no longer needed or wanted. For PSG, the Argentine striker gives them another offensive weapon on their quest to try and win the Champions League.

While the move benefits PSG because it gives them one of Serie A’s best strikers of the last few years, how he will do in the French capital remains to be seen. He shouldn’t have a problem scoring in Ligue 1, but how he will get along with his teammates and whether PSG can contend for the Champions League are all unknowns.

With Icardi’s on-field exploits can also come drama in the dressing room. That didn’t help him or his teammates last season at Inter Milan. That the Brazilian star Neymar wanted out at PSG all summer (but failed to sign with his former club Barcelona) leaves open the door for a soap opera in Paris this season. That is especially true if the team fails to get results.

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Although the team has many stars who can score, Icardi is expected to start. He would not have agreed to go in order to be a sub. That means he could play on the wing alongside Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. This trio instantly becomes one of the most feared in Europe.

Under manager Thomas Tuchel, PSG likes to play a 4-3-3. The biggest headache will he what three strikers he uses since he has seven at his disposal.

One option would be to deploy the Icardi-Neymar-Mbappe. But that trio will have to wait given that Mbappe, and fellow striker Edinson Cavani, will miss the best part of this month through injuries. The France and Uruguay internationals both suffered injuries at the end of last month during the 4-0 home win over Toulouse in Ligue 1.

Mbappe has mostly been used on the left side of PSG’s front three, but that could change to accommodate Neymar. Icardi would have to compete with 32-year-old Cavani for the other spot.

Tuchel could also put Icardi alongside countryman Angel di Maria, who typically plays in the midfield, and German striker Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, who joined the team from English side Stoke. This past weekend, Tuchel started Choupo-Moting in the center, with di Maria and midfielder Pablo Sarabia on the wings. PSG won the game 2-0. Di Maria, via a penalty kick, and Choup-Moting scored the goals.

PSG return to action after the international break on September 14 against Ligue 1 side Strasbourg. Les Parisens face their first big test of the season four days later when they play Real Madrid in the Champions League.