Warren Zaïre-Emery: “My objective is to stay in the France squad.”

Warren Zaïre-Emery (17) is in the France squad for the first time, and as he told the press on Thursday, his ambition is to stay there. 

Zaïre-Emery, despite his age, exudes confidence on the pitch, and he is no different in front of a microphone. “This first press conference didn’t worry me particularly. I treat it like an oral exam,” joked the Paris Saint-Germain midfielder, who is the centre of attention during this international break. 

The ‘Titi Parisien’ has experienced a rapid rise in the past 12 months, going from the fringes of the PSG team to becoming a central figure in Luis Enrique’s team. At international level, he quickly made an impression with Les Bleuets, wearing the armband before being fast-tracked to the senior team. 

Zaïre-Emery – here to stay?

Should Zaïre-Emery feature against either Gibraltar or Greece during the international break, he will become the youngest player to feature for Les Bleus since 1911. “That would be another record. If I beat it, I will be very happy,” admitted Zaïre-Emery in a press conference, transcribed by L’Équipe. 

Zaïre-Emery is looking to break records, but most importantly, he is hoping to make an impression. He has already drawn high praise from all of the managers that he has worked with. Ahead of Euro 2024, he is now hoping to give Didier Deschamps a selection headache. 

Speaking last week, Deschamps admitted that Zaïre-Emery was in contention to make his Euro 2024 squad, with qualification for the tournament already guaranteed. Zaïre-Emery has now revealed that, in a conversation with France U21 manager Thierry Henry, he was challenged to retain his place in the senior set-up, and he has designs on doing so. 

“I spoke with him (Henry) on Tuesday. He is happy for me. He said it wasn’t about getting into the France team but staying there. That is my daily objective,” said Zaïre-Emery. France face Gibraltar in Nice on Saturday before travelling to Athens to face Greece next Tuesday. With Eduardo Camavinga now also ruled out through injury, the chances of the PSG midfielder making his senior debut have considerably increased. 

GFFN | Luke Entwistle