Jerome Rothen didn’t exactly hit the target during a disastrous loan spell at Rangers but doesn’t miss in his role as a hard-hitting pundit back in his native France and has come up with a plan to force out the big names at old club PSG who he believes are letting them down.
The winger played just eight games after moving to Glasgow from Parc des Princes but he fell out of favour with then boss Walter Smith with the final straw a 4-1 Champions League humiliation at home to Romanian side Unirea Urziceni when he was substituted shortly after the hour mark.
It’s fair to say Rothen didn’t leave much of a mark on Rangers or Scottish football but that hasn’t stopped him passing comment on some of the world’s greatest players, particularly his beloved PSG, for French TV station RMC Sport where he has his own show ‘Rothen ignites’ for tackling the major issues head on. And he’s been less than impressed with Christophe Galtier’s side since they crashed out of the Champions League to Bayern Munich.
The 45-year-old previously targeted Neymar but with the Brazilian extending his contract until 2027 in the French capital, he has come up with another plan to oust the former Barcelona man - removing his dressing room pals. Rothen said: "I don’t think it’s him who should leave as a priority. I may be surprised when I say that but it's not easy to get him to leave. And if you look at it in context, he is currently injured, has had a complicated year.
“For all these reasons, getting him to leave today is very complicated. Above all, it would be a waste of time because if there is to be a radical change in the locker room, you have to break Neymar's allies in the locker room, cut off the heads of some. A (Marco) Verratti, for example, is not enough in relation to its investment. There are others, like Lionel Messi, at the end of the contract, which should not be extended, or Sergio Ramos, at the end of the contract too. Me, I would go more on these players, it's more achievable."
