Is Randal Kolo Muani’s PSG Career Over? His Spurs Career Just Began

Randal Kolo Muani scored the first two goals of his Tottenham Hotspur career on Wednesday night, but he refused to celebrate.

That is because those goals came in a 5-3 defeat against his parent club. The loanee, who also claimed an assist by setting up Richarlison for the opening goal, is still officially a Paris Saint-Germain player.

Kolo Muani has been on PSG’s books since September 2023, but until this week he had never bagged a brace at the Parc des Princes. What timing.

Is Randal Kolo Muani’s PSG career over?

In truth, Randal Kolo Muani’s PSG career has yet to really get going following his big-money move from Eintracht Frankfurt.

He arrived for a big fee at the end of the 2023 summer window when PSG paid Frankfurt €75m (£64.2m) plus the promise of a further €15m (£12.2m) in potential add-ons. However, he struggled to live up to that price tag, scoring just 11 times in 54 games before being loaned out to Juventus.

Although he did well at Juve — netting 10 times in 22 appearances in the second half of last season — PSG went on to win the Champions League without him, as the likes of Bradley Barcola, Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, Goncalo Ramos and Ballon d’Or winner Ousmane Dembele impressed in his absence.

With PSG not in need of his immediate services, Kolo Muani went out on loan again this season. But crucially, the agreement between Spurs and PSG did not include an option to buy. It was a straight season-long loan, with Spurs paying his wages plus a fee of €5m (£4.4m).

Therefore, unless a new agreement is reached before then, Kolo Muani will return to Paris at the end of the season, at which point he will have two more years left on his PSG contract.

Should he return there after impressing in England with Spurs then it remains plausible that his PSG career could yet be reignited.

Why did PSG pay so much for Randal Kolo Muani?

Although Randal Kolo Muani’s career stats to date do not point to his being the most prolific of forwards, his performances for Eintracht Frankfurt in the 2022/23 campaign were supremely eye-catching.

He delivered 23 goals in all competitions, impressing fans and scouts alike with a combination of his slick dribbling, sharp vision and fearsome speed. Fifteen of those goals came in the Bundesliga, while he also delivered 11 assists in his 32 league appearances that season.

Meanwhile, his move to Paris came little more than 18 months after he had appeared for France in the 2022 World Cup final.

Randal Kolo Muani’s career club stats

Randal Kolo Muani scored 10 goals in 22 games for Juventus while on loan from PSG (Evelyn Hockstein-Reuters via Imagn Images)

The move to PSG was also part of a very deliberate cultural reset by the club’s ownership. He arrived in the same summer that saw Lionel Messi and Neymar depart following back-to-back Champions League campaigns that ended in the round of 16.

PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi had spoken of wanting a team of local players and he again nodded to this when Kolo Muani’s transfer was announced.

“We are delighted to welcome Randal Kolo Muani, a proud Parisien and Frenchman, to Paris Saint-Germain, to his city and his home,” said Al-Khelaifi.

“We have worked incredibly hard to get this transfer over the line. Randal is a fantastic French international player and is committed to PSG and our project. I’m so excited to see Randal in a PSG jersey, giving everything for the club.”

Is Randal Kolo Muani still a €90m player?

It is now more than two years since PSG splashed out up to €90m to sign Randal Kolo Muani. But he is still just 26 years old, meaning his peak years are potentially still ahead of him.

He needs his loan spell in north London to work, either to prove to PSG that he is worth another shot or indeed to convince Spurs to buy him outright.

Wednesday’s appearance in Paris was only Kolo Muani’s fifth start of the season for Spurs, who have made frequent changes to their frontline under manager Thomas Frank.

Thomas Frank: This can be a “turning point” for Randal Kolo Muani

Speaking after seeing his side lose an eight-goal thriller in the French capital, Thomas Frank said of Randal Kolo Muani’s Tottenham career: “I think that can definitely be a turning point.

“It needs to be followed up of course but the two goals give him some confidence to go forward.

“He has been struggling a little bit with form for various reasons. A little bit set back with the dead leg, the broken jaw. And coming into us without being fit.

“Now he looks better and better and we saw the better of him today.”

Could Tottenham’s formation be the key to unlocking Randal Kolo Muani’s best form?

Randal Kolo Muani played as one of two central strikers in a slightly unconventional 4-4-2 formation on Wednesday night.

He was partnered up front by Richarlison — who had looked lost and isolated in a 4-1 thrashing by Arsenal three days earlier — while full-backs Pedro Porro and Djed Spence often pushed on higher than a largely central midfield four.

Tottenham’s strikers appeared to thrive in this new shape. They had more space, more support and more options than in previous weeks. As a result, Spurs recorded 10 shots against the European champions — just two fewer than they produced in their last three domestic games combined.

Kolo Muani and Richarlison both started against Manchester United earlier this month too, but that was in a 4-2-3-1 formation, with each of them taking turns at playing out wide and it was far less effective.

Randal Kolo Muani’s first 10 Tottenham appearances

The majority of Kolo Muani’s 428 minutes for Spurs have come as the lone frontman in a 4-2-3-1 and he had gone nine games without a goal before his impressive Paris homecoming.

Spurs host Fulham on Saturday, looking to improve their record in Premier League London derbies. Kolo Muani is very likely to start that game. It would be incredibly harsh for him to be dropped from the starting XI after his Paris “turning point”.

But whether or not he is able to shine again and properly kickstart his Tottenham career could depend on what the rest of the XI looks like.