Murmurings of disquiet have drifted across the Channel from inside Parc des Princes. Ah Paris, the city of love. The city of lights. And the city whose football team prefers the sound of foreign tongues.
Reports claim that Spanish, Portuguese, English, and even Italian are now the dominant languages of the Paris Saint-Germain dressing room.
Mauricio Pochettino tends to take training in Spanish or English and some players, such as Neymar, are said to never speak French. New arrivals like Lionel Messi are yet to grasp the language.
Is it any wonder? Barely a dozen of Pochettino’s cosmopolitan squad are homegrown, many have Spanish or South American roots.
And yet, according to parts of the French press, this is causing ‘concern’ at the club. Among precisely who, you may ask.
The club’s Qatari owners? Their Brazilian sporting director? Their Argentine coach? The problem, it seems, surrounds French-speaking youth players trying to break into the first team. Hardly ideal, admittedly.
Regional cliques within Premier League dressing rooms are natural. But how would fans react if they discovered French or Spanish had become the master tongue of, say, Man City? Or Burnley?
Some went giddy when it was revealed that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta used three languages to dish out instructions — and mask tactical tweaks.
Back in 2013, Alan Pardew refused to speak a word of French to Newcastle’s near-dozen players from across the Channel.
Fortunately, English is a universal tongue and some players such as Romelu Lukaku are so studious and well-travelled.
The Chelsea forward now speaks eight languages. He’d fit in rather well at PSG.