Arsene Wenger reckons there would have been an exodus of PSG players if Neymar had left the club for Barcelona.
Brazil star Neymar has been linked with a return to his former club all summer, with Real Madrid also keen on the player, but the expected move failed to materialise as the European transfer window closed.
And former Arsenal manager Wenger admits that will be a huge relief to Paris-Saint Germain - not just because they have held on to their star man, but because of the effect a move could have had on Neymar's team-mates.
Wenger said a move for Neymar might have hastened the departures of other top players such as World Cup winner Kylian Mbappe.
Instead, Neymar will now link up with Mauro Icardi, who joined PSG on loan from Inter Milan.
“I think that he is one of the best players in the world and I am happy that he is staying at PSG,” Wenger told BeIN Sports .
“Because when you lose one of your two or three best players in the world, the law in our world is that the following year you lose the other.
“It is very difficult to have players who make a difference, even when you have a lot of money.
“When you have them, you must keep them.
“When you want to keep a player, it is better to convince him how important you are to him, rather than to give him zero chance to leave.”
Neymar, 27, had his heart set on a return to Barcelona this summer after two seasons in Paris during which PSG won back-to-back Ligue 1 titles.
It was claimed PSG chief Nasser Al-Khelaifi met with club officials at the start of the summer , after Neymar confirmed his intentions to return to Barca.
But he also told them in secret that he wouldn't go cheap, and slapped a £272m (€300m) price tag on the player.
PSG knew Barca were never going to get anywhere near that price, with the Spanish champions having to meet FFP guidelines.
