PSG, who also want to recruit David Beckham as a player but
say "nothing is signed,” made the Ancelotti announcement at a news
conference after days of speculation. Former player Claude Makelele will be the
Italian's assistant.
"I think I can do good work here. We have all the
conditions to succeed. I am delighted and very enthusiastic about this
project," former AC Milan and Chelsea boss Ancelotti said.
Kombouare's position had come under intense scrutiny after
the club's new Qatari owners bankrolled a close-season spending spree of around
85 million euros ($111.05 million).
Almost half of that was spent on Argentina international
Javier Pastore from Palermo, whose sparkling early-season form tailed off as
the club, who had made a strong start to the campaign, began to stutter at home
and in Europe.
They suffered an embarrassing 3-0 league defeat to
arch-rivals Olympique Marseille in November and were knocked out in the group
stages of the Europa League, winning only three of their six matches.
However, they recovered in Ligue 1 to be top after 19 games
but that was not enough to stop the owners and sporting director Leonardo from
wielding the axe on unheralded former Valenciennes boss Kombouare who was in
charge before May's takeover.
A more high profile name such as Ancelotti fits better with
their aim of turning PSG into one of Europe's top clubs, with their pursuit of
marketing phenomenon Beckham another example of the huge ambition.
The club, only formed in 1970 as the French capital
struggled to get a foothold in Europe's soccer map, won the last of their two
national titles in 1994 and have one European Cup Winners' Cup to their name.
Ancelotti, who twice won the Champions League as coach of AC
Milan, was sacked by Chelsea at the end of last term despite guiding the London
club to a domestic league and cup double the season before.
The 52-year-old Italian had previously said he would like to
stay in the Premier League, with reports saying he was eyeing the Tottenham
Hotspur job if Harry Redknapp left at the end of the season to coach England.
However, he has been persuaded otherwise by Leonardo, who
worked with Ancelotti at Milan as a director of football before replacing him
as Rossoneri coach for the 2009/10 season.
Media reports have linked PSG to Chelsea's little-used
France winger Florent Malouda in the January transfer window and Milan striker
Alexandre Pato, who recently criticized his coach Massimiliano Allegri.
Both played for Ancelotti for Chelsea and Milan respectively
while Beckham, free after his Los Angeles Galaxy deal ran out, also played
under him at the Italian side.
Ancelotti will witness a quick reunion with Milan when PSG
take on the Serie A champions in a friendly in Dubai on Jan. 4 while they
return to competitive action with a French Cup game against lower league Locmine
on Jan. 8.
PSG's vast new wealth means they are set to make Ancelotti
the best paid coach in Ligue 1 history and they are also considering rebuilding
their Parc des Princes home or moving to the Stade de France.
