Mauricio Pochettino breaks silence on Kylian Mbappe 'power grab' after PSG sacking

Mauricio Pochettino has refuted claims that Kylian Mbappe had any influence over the decision to replace him as Paris Saint-Germain boss this summer.

Mbappe opted to sign a three-year contract extension with the Ligue 1 champions earlier this summer, with reports claiming that the striker would hold great sway in the club’s sporting decisions as part of the agreement to extend his stay at the Parc des Princes.

That coincided with Pochettino’s exit from the club, as the former Tottenham boss was replaced by Christophe Galtier. The Argentine led PSG to the Coupe de France during his first half-season in the 2020/21 and followed that up by winning the first league title of his managerial career last season, but it was not enough to make up for the team's European failure – as they exited in the Round of 16 against Real Madrid after tossing away a 2-0 aggregate lead.

The Argentine coach was booed by large sections of the PSG crowd when his name was read out ahead of kick-off at a Ligue 1 clash. It followed the supporter's major protest at a Ligue 1 clash against Rennes in which they blasted the 'overpaid mercenaries' on their books and attacked the board with Pochettino not escaping their ire – showcasing the uneasy relationship.

Yet Pochettino has now rejected suggestions that Mbappe played a part in the decision to replace him with Galtier – who spent last season at Nice – or that to replace sporting director Leonardo with Luis Campos.

Pochettino told an interview with Infobae, when asked about a possible link: “What I think is that PSG has done everything possible to retain Kylian and I also agree with that. He is one of the best players in world football today and I think that PSG, having all the resources to do