Why Kylian Mbappe's move to PSG is damning for Ligue 1

After winning four Ligue 1 titles on the trot, including the last by an obscene 31-point margin over Lyon, Paris Saint-Germain enjoyed a comfortable stranglehold on France's top flight.

The capital club thrived in its perennial perch atop the standings, but the lack of competition led to the characterisation of a "one club league" as former powers Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, and Saint-Etienne languished in PSG's gargantuan shadow.

That label has followed Ligue 1 like a dark cloud, and for pundits and supporters alike, it became an unwanted epithet that was impossible to shake.

Monaco ushers in a new age

Then - like a phoenix rising from the ashes of malaise - Monaco surged to a first league top-flight title since the turn of the century boosted by a young squad of emerging stars, and suddenly, Ligue 1 was showered with praise. And why not, as the league has been a constant source of young talent that mirrored Monaco's rise?

Monaco wasn't the only side to enjoy a surge reminiscent of past or previously unfounded successes. Guided by purveyor of young talent Lucien Favre, Nice electrified Ligue 1 with a combination of budding stars and castaways, as the likes of Alassane Plea, Mario Balotelli, Dante, and Jean Michael Seri led Les Aiglons to a podium finish and a maiden Champions League qualifying berth. Boosted by the takeover from former L.A. Dodgers owner Frank McCourt and Rudi Garcia's return to France, Marseille made some sage purchases and again showed glimpses of the side that won a record 10th league title in 2009-10.

World-class players like Michael Essien, Karim Benzema, Eden Hazard, and more recently, Ousmane Dembele, Alexandre Lacazette, Corentin Tolisso have all been reared in Ligue 1, proving that few divisions have produced talent at the same rate as France's top flight.

Even clubs like Nantes and Lille appeared set to forego recent failures with the signings of high-profile managers Claudio Ranieri and Marcelo Bielsa, and after years of being considered an also-ran among Europe's top-five leagues, attention was being paid to Ligue 1, and for all the right reasons.

This league-wide sense of effervescence quickly shifted into a familiar sense of inadequacy and dread when PSG shattered all standards with an obscene €222-million move for Neymar. That feeling of inequality was then doubled with Kylian Mbappe's move to the capital.

Return to an unwelcome norm

As much as Mbappe's move to PSG is disappointing for Monaco, it's a reminder of the incommensurate resources of Ligue 1's 20 sides, and while that's hardly an anomaly in Europe's top divisions, nowhere is it as noticeable as in France.

The conditions surrounding Mbappe's move aren't helping either. Shackled by UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations, and weighed down by the near-quarter of a billion euros spent on Neymar's fee, PSG's uber-rich chairman and owner Nasser Al-Khelaifi has found a way to skirt around the rules. By signing Mbappe on a season-long loan ahead of a permanent move next summer, the Qatari-owned behemoth would stagger his fee, which for FFP purposes, is measured over the duration of his deal. That way, Mbappe and Neymar's fees are distributed over the lengths of their terms, and since FFP's assessments are a year behind, this year's books will be weighed during the 2018-19 campaign.

By signing Mbappe on loan, PSG is giving itself a one-year buffer to meet FFP regulations stipulating that money spent on transfers and player's wages are balanced with revenue. Despite being arguably one of Europe's biggest brands, PSG isn't there quite yet, but it can bring in said revenue several ways, with player sales and increased sponsorship deals leading the way. In terms of sales, the exodus has already begun, and considering that metric weighs both fees and wages, Unai Emery's lot are off to a good start with the sales of Blaise Matuidi, Jean-Kevin Augustin, and Serge Aurier's pending move to the Premier League. Expect Angel Di Maria and Julian Draxler to follow suit.

Essentially now a state-run club with Qatari backing, it will come as little surprise if PSG is boosted by a massive regional sponsor next season that offsets these moves under FFP restrictions.

Familiarity breeds contempt

Paris Saint-Germain is no stranger to straddling the line between ethical business moves and impropriety. In 2014, UEFA released a statement claiming that the governing body and the club had come to an agreement over some compliance issues.

The rest of the clubs in Ligue 1 are also no stranger to PSG's dominance and its attempts at bending the rules. On Tuesday, Lyon's official Twitter account tweeted a link to an article in French daily "Liberation" questioning the logistics of the move for Mbappe. That's an unprecedented move from the seven-time champ, though the blame shouldn't rest squarely on the shoulders of PSG.

If PSG is the thief stealing its neighbours valuables, Monaco is the dimwit next door that has left the front door ajar. Resigned to losing its 18-year-old star, Les Monegasgues vice-president Vadim Vasilyev packed Mbappe's bags and drove him to the train station before footing the cost of his trip to the capital, a move that may not have happened had Monaco not agreed to a season-long loan. Why would Monaco actively help its biggest rival, especially after already pocketing nearly €350 million in summer sales?

Monaco has wasted little time moving on, and Mbappe is just a fraction of an emerging core that was sold this summer for exorbitant fees. Tiemoue Bakayoko, Benjamin Mendy, Allan Saint-Maximin, and Bernardo Silva are all gone, and thrifty replacements have been found. Stevan Jovetic and Keita Balde will pair with league-leading scorer Radamel Falcao, and for the time being, it appears as if Monaco can keep pace with the capital club.

It's likely that will prove to be nothing more than a mirage, and when PSG inevitably lifts a fifth Ligue 1 title in a six-year window come April, the rest of France's top flight will again languish in the gloom of the capital club's shadow, no thanks to Monaco.

(Photos courtesy: Action Images)