His reputation as a tough guy preceded him. And on Tuesday Christophe Galtier pulled few punches during his first footsteps as the new head coach at the French champions Paris Saint-Germain.
"No player will be above the club," declared the 55-year-old.
"It will be about taking their talents and using them as a strength. But if there are players who are not in that frame of mind, then it will be dealt with internally and if necessary, they will be left out."
The hard line - declared with PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi at his side - chimes with Galtier's modus operandi during 13 years and nearly 450 Ligue 1 games as coach at Saint-Etienne, Lille and Nice.
"I like to see players work hard and be happy and you get that by working hard," he added.
Galtier, who led Lille to the 2021 Ligue 1 crown, before heading to Nice will take over from Mauricio Pochettino.
The Argentine's exit was officially announced barely 90 minutes before Galtier was scheduled to host his first press conference.
Le Paris Saint-Germain confirme avoir mis un terme à sa collaboration avec Mauricio Pochettino.
— Paris Saint-Germain (@PSG_inside) July 5, 2022
Le Club tient à remercier Mauricio Pochettino et son staff pour leur travail et leur souhaite le meilleur pour l’avenir.
Pochettino was appointed after the dismissal of Thomas Tuchel in January 2021 and guided the side to three trophies including the 2022 Ligue 1 crown as well as the 2021 Coupe de France.
However, it was his failure in the Champions League that sealed his fate. His side containing three of the planet's best players Neymar, Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappé failed to hold onto a 2-0 aggregate lead over Real Madrid in the last-16.
They went out 3-2 on aggregate and were subjected to a barrage of criticism from fans and commentators.
In the first Ligue 1 match after the Champions League debacle, supporters booed Messi and Neymar - deemed the most culpable for the abject showing - through the 90 minutes of the 3-0 victory over Bordeaux that sent them 15 points clear at the top.
Galtier targeted the Champions League crown as one of his objectives as well as a record 11th Ligue 1 title.
"To be collective and united," added al-Khelaifi. "Christophe knows how to do that. "People who come to watch the team will see good football. Everyone will be motivated at training to win with style and with our philosophy.
"We have great players and young talents."
