Edinson Cavani's transfer from Napoli to Paris-Saint Germain in the summer of 2013 marked a significant step in French football - the newly acquired financial muscle of the club in the capital. PSG had established the most expensive transfer in French football history with the Uruguayan's arrival, by securing him for €65 million euros. With this price tag in mind, how great were the expectations of the former Serie A man once he arrived in Ligue 1? Great, surely.

So the question is, has Cavani lived up to these great expectations?

In his debut season with PSG, he notched up 16 goals in 25 Ligue 1 appearances. Last term, he scored 18 league goals - 31 in all competitions. These numbers may have been despite the fact that the 28-year-old was the understudy to the reknowned figure of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, but it surely cannot justify his €65 million price tag. 

Since settling in France, Cavani has been uneasy in his positioning under Laurent Blanc. His preferred central role has been dominated by the big Swede and of course transitioning to a less significant role once has been a challenge, but does it afford to be merited up to third season later?

Once the 2014/2015 season dawned upon the club, Ibrahimovic's natural decline began to unfold and Cavani began to supplement his absences. Cavani would often drop into his preferred role and look to achieve the goals he was bought to convert in-and-out of the league.

Ibrahimovic's absence prompts another style of play

More often, what was seen in Ibrahimovic’s absence was a greater team dynamic with goals coming from all angles instead of straight down the middle. This was a positive. But the negative was Cavani's lack of leadership from the front as opposed to his older team-mate. Of course it is difficult to compare the two as their playing styles and personalities are widely different. But three seasons later, his presence should not be so faded.

With the same fate of Ibrahimovic's decline continuing into the 2015/2016 season, it seems as though Cavani has yet to really be the sure replacement to the Swede. PSG have no doubt begun to look past the 33-year-old, into a new era without him and should Cavani be his replacement? With performances such as the one against Montpellier, it is difficult to argue for his place.

Against the Southern French outfit, Cavani was the central marksman, hungry and willing to take his efforts on-goal as often as possible. But despite this, the reality was that the Uruguayan forward was not by any means influential and unfortunately not the first time, he has been unable to shine in Ibrahimovic's absence.

Cavani needs time to become PSG's main man

Away at the Stade de la Mosson, they'd achieved a 1-0 victory over the home side courtesy of a strike from midfielder Blaise Matuidi - thus securing their best start to a Ligue 1 season since 1999, with three consecutive victories. Despite the slender victory though, the inability of Cavani's finishing rate should cause concern for Blanc. Admittedly, he had opportunities to score - but often found himself in offside positions, which is frustrating in itself. His rugged legs in front of goal did little to help Les Parisiens assume they have a formidable attack without their star man up-top.

Luckily for Blanc though, he's got plenty of options going forward in terms of creative players who can create chances for Cavani to finish. The likes of Lucas Moura, Jean Kevin-Augustin, Javier Pastore and Marco Verratti are all known for their ability to create opportunities, but if Edinson cannot take his attempts, where will the side's goals come from?

Lucas is a little too reckless to attain the sole duties of a striker. He often uses his athleticism over technique. Augustin has shown great potential, but it would be highly unlikely for the youngster to gain such a large responsibility. Ezequiel Lavezzi is much better sitting on the wing, but has lost much of the touch he began with in the French capital. Pastore and Verratti can certainly create, but it is not their duty to score. Thus, the duties inevitably fall onto Cavani.

Otherwise, he could be off elsewhere

Another problem is his opposition. Often time PSG have been criticised for their lack of firepower against French opposition, as they are a team built for European competition. If Cavani cannot annihilate opposition that in many ways is considered inferior, then how will he handle UEFA Champions League competition with seemingly no help up-top? His performances at times have been questionable, but the good news is that the season is still in its infancy. If Cavani can find consistent first-team minutes, perhaps his growth into the side's main man will happen at some point. 

With reports linking him to the Premier League once again, it wouldn't be surprising if PSG go in search elsewhere for a reliable marksman.