Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 4:55 PM• Rian Rosendaal • Last update: 16:58

The arrival of Mauricio Pochettino has clearly not done Mitchel Bakker any good. The left back was still a fixed value under Thomas Tuchel, but since the Argentinian coach is at the helm, Bakker has no more than a supporting role for PSG. The twenty-year-old fullback does not rule out a premature departure from Paris in advance, despite an ongoing commitment until mid-2023.

Bakker only got a starting place from Pochettino once since 9 January and before the international period he was on the bench at PSG five times in a row. “And that while earlier this season there was a period when I made the most minutes of everyone in the selection”, the winger sighs in an extensive interview with Football International. For some time now Bakker has had to tolerate Layvin Kurzawa and Abdou Diallo in the left back position. “And I had a hard time with that in the beginning. At a certain point you are a kind of basic player. You have your value for the team and then suddenly you are no one at all. That eats at you.”

The banker has already asked Pochettino for clarification about his role as a reserve at PSG. “He started about his own career, about things he had experienced as a player,” explains Bakker. “What he was actually trying to say is that all coaches have their own preferences. That when a new coach comes in, he can see something in other players. The coach still said:” You are still young, you have to train well here. Your chance will come naturally. “He’s right when he says I’m still young. But I’ve played a lot in the last year. flow. That is now completely gone “, Bakker mourns.

What did not help much in Bakker’s situation at PSG is an incident after the game with Dijon on February 27. L’Equipe then came out with a story that the Dutch defender would have refused to participate in the mandatory walk-out training. Bakker, who sat on the couch for ninety minutes, kicked a couple of billboards and immediately ducked into the catacombs on his way to the dressing room. A mediation attempt by Kurzawa was also to no avail. “Let me not say too much about that. Certain things have happened there and that is not useful if you have just got a new trainer.”

That new trainer seems to be firmly in the saddle at PSG for the time being. “That will remain for a while”, Bakker refers to Pochettino’s contract until mid-2022. The player himself has a commitment in Paris until mid-2023. Whether he will serve that contract, however, remains to be seen. “We’re going to have a look this summer. When will the market open? In June? There are already some clubs that have shown interest. I just want to play every week. A Dutch club? I don’t think so at the moment. I have been a PSG player for two years now, “said Bakker.