Kvaratskhelia's injury leaves Paris Saint-Germain facing a shocking "joker card" that terrifies France
Will Paris exploit the exception?
Anxiety has gripped Paris Saint-Germain. Their Georgian star Khvicha Kvaratskhelia will miss the rest of the season after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during the recent Champions League clash against Barcelona, an injury that required urgent surgery.
The Parisians beat the Catalan giants, but the night came at a brutal price. Kvaratskhelia's injury did not come alone. Brazilian captain Marquinhos and French star Ousmane Dembélé are both sidelined with muscular injuries, a triple blow that threatens the stability of the system Luis Enrique has built and leaves him facing a difficult tactical test.
With the squad stretched this thin, PSG's board have started to study a rare legal clause permitted by the French Football Federation, known as the "Joker player", according to Spanish radio station "Cadena SER".
Introduced by the French Professional Football League in 2000, the regulation gives French clubs the right to sign one player registered with the French Football Federation, in either the first or second division, between the end of the summer transfer window and the start of the winter mercato, to cover for a player ruled out for longer than three months.
That exceptional clause has put every Ligue 1 club on maximum alert. The fear is simple: PSG could pay the release clause of any prominent star in the French league and snatch him in mid-season, flexing their financial muscle.
The team already boast an attacking arsenal capable of filling the void temporarily, with names such as Bradley Barcola, Désiré Doué, Gonçalo Ramos and Lee Kang-in. Yet losing a player of Kvaratskhelia's calibre, one of the team's most decisive cards, cannot be easily compensated for.
Signing a free agent remains on the table, but it is not a priority for the Parisian board at this stage. They want an immediate solution of the same high quality, and that is exactly what the "Joker" card offers, one that could turn the French transfer market upside down over the next few days.
