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By Jonathan Johnson (@Jon_LeGossip)

After one of the longest running transfer sagas in recent memory, Angel Di Maria is finally a Paris Saint-Germain player.

The Argentina international was unveiled by the French champions to the press in the capital on Thursday at a swanky hotel and at €63 million, becomes the club and Ligue 1’s second most expensive signing in history after new teammate Edinson Cavani. Di Maria’s arrival at Parc des Princes ends a long pursuit of the player by coach Laurent Blanc and his superiors.

When el Fideo was made available for transfer at Real Madrid last summer, PSG were at the front of the queue for his signature and only UEFA’s financial fair play (FFP) limitations prevented les Parisiens from acquiring him. 

Di Maria even admitted towards the end of last year that had it not been for his new club’s struggles against FFP, he would have signed for them in the first place instead of ultimately accepting to join his clear second choice in Manchester United.

Less than 12 months later, the South American departs Old Trafford under a cloud and is delighted to have finally arrived in France, albeit later than initially planned.

"I'm very proud to be here and I can't wait to wear the PSG shirt," were Di Maria’s first words as a PSG player. "I hope to claim success in every competition we play in, both in France and Europe.”

“I want to win the Champions League once again - it's every footballer's dream,” the 27-year-old added. “We'll do everything we can to bring the PSG fans and France the greatest European trophy."

The completion of Di Maria’s arrival is a major coup for PSG president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who worked hard along with assistant sporting director Olivier Letang to pursue to player, despite last summer’s setback.

"We're very proud that Angel Di Maria chose Paris Saint-Germain," stated the Qatari. "He's got talent coming out his ears, he has a formidable capacity to get past his man and his speed is breath-taking. He's joining a considerable South American community here but above all, he is joining the PSG family.”

“Once again, Paris Saint-Germain - by recruiting Di Maria - is showing the extent of our ambition and our desire to keep climbing higher."

So, Blanc now has the player he has desperately wanted since the end of his first season in charge of the capital outfit and PSG finally have a natural left-sided attacking talent to complete their star-studded squad. Di Maria brings lots of qualities to the team, but most of all it is his pace, creativity, ability to beat his man and the direct threat that he provides that will have appealed to Blanc above everything else.

The Argentine star also offers tactical flexibility because of his ability to play on the right or in the middle, as well as his preferred left-sided berth. With that in mind, le President could feasibly line PSG up in a 4-3-3, 4-4-2, 4-3-1-2 or 4-1-3-2 formation this season.

On top of that tactical variety, Di Maria also brings considerable Champions League experience to the squad, having won the competition with Real Madrid back in 2013-14. The Albiceleste star was key in helping los Blancos end their wait to win their fabled 10th European title. PSG’s main ambition this season is to advance past the Champions League quarterfinals, that is the French champions’ overriding focus and winning the title for a second time is one of Di Maria’s burning desires.

In order for him to be able to do this, les Parisiens are going to need to keep him happy. At PSG, he will be delighted to find a large South American contingent. Good friends Ezequiel Lavezzi and Javier Pastore from the Argentina national team are there and Spanish-speakers such as Uruguayan Edinson Cavani, Italian Thiago Motta and Brazilian Maxwell will also help him feel right at home.

The player admitted at his unveiling that he is still a few weeks away from being fit enough to train fully with his new teammates. Even though he will be introduced to the Parc des Princes prior to next weekend’s home clash with Ligue 1 debutants Gazelec Ajaccio, the chances are that he will not debut until the end of the month at least. Once fit, the €63 million man will be expected to hit the ground running.

Now that he has the player that he has coveted for so long, Blanc must use Di Maria to great effect in order to help PSG progress in the only way that truly matters to the club’s owners - in the Champions League.