The transfer of Paul Pogba to Manchester United is the most talked about in the footballing fraternity.
The transfer is claimed to be the most sensational in recent years, mainly for two reasons...
- Return to Manchester United – Pogba left the Red Devils for Juventus as he was apparently frustrated with lack of opportunities under Sir Alex Ferguson. Ferguson blamed Mino Raiola (Pogba’s Agent) for the fiasco. Nonetheless, the debacle is expected to benefit two parties i.e. Raiola and Juventus.
- Money Involved – The transfer fee is rumoured to be in excess of £100million, with the Frenchman pocketing £200,000-per-week. The Turin based club signed Pogba on a free transfer. And Raiola? It’s rumoured that the agent will pocket more than £20million. Assuming a five year contract is signed, the total amounts to a staggering £190 million!
With all that said, the question arises – Is Pogba worth it?
Situation at Manchester United
Paul Pogba is able to play at No.10 as well as in the holding role. The Red Devils have Juan Mata, Wayne Rooney and Henrikh Mkhitaryan who can all play at No.10, while they have Morgan Schneiderlin, Bastian Schweinsteiger, Marouane Fellaini, Michael Carrick and Ander Herrera in deep midfield.
Pogba is a top addition to the squad but his arrival may spell the end for at least two aforementioned players. And if that's not the case, then Mourinho could have the luxury of fielding two separate squads for separate tournaments.
Monetary Affairs
The Premier League has witnessed over–the–top money paid for the transfers. Sadio Mané, Raheem Sterling, Kevin De Bruyne, Christian Benteke, Memphis Depay and Luke Shaw are wonderful examples.
A £30million signing was a rare sighting three years ago and now all the aforementioned names have crossed the barrier quite easily. This is largely achieved due to the consecutive increase in TV money every year.
Since moving to Juventus, Pogba has won the 2013 Golden Boy Award, Golden Ball in U20 World Cup with France and 2014 Bravo Award. The Frenchman is seen as a future contender for the prestigious Ballon D’Or. His accolades and the absence of Champions League compounded with inflated transfer sums in the Premier League validate the mammoth sums of money behind this transfer.
But how does Ed Woodward plan to recoup the colossal amount of money? According to sportspromedia.com, Paul Pogba was ranked 2nd in ‘The World’s 50 Most Marketable players in 2016’. Pogba has about 12 million followers on social media platforms.
Manchester United are backed by innumerable sponsors and new signing Zlatan Ibrahimovic & Paul Pogba are perfect personalities to feature on the advertising boards.
Player Attributes and Performances
Aged 23, Pogba possesses the necessary attributes to comply with the physical nature of the English game.
He is quick, despite being so tall, and pooled with lean muscular build, which enables him to cover large amounts of space while maintaining strength and balance as he runs at opponents, making him a valuable asset in counter attacks.
An eye for long shots, superb volley technique and delivering good passes has helped the Frenchman to register 8 goals and 12 assists for Juventus in the 2015-16 campaign. His technique with the ball is too good and contains a decent quantity of flair in it.
With age on his side, blended with high work rate makes the Frenchman quite an explosive package.
But Pogba received a lot of criticism about his performances for France at the Euros. Manchester United’s interest and the fee quoted raised the expectations exponentially for the supporters and critics. Tactics deployed by Didier Deschamps could be another reason to affect Pogba’s performances as he shouldered more of defensive responsibilities and contributed less in the attacks.
Still, it is undeniable that Pogba's impact was not that evident as that of Antoine Griezmann, Dimitri Payet, Blaise Matuidi and N'Golo Kanté, but his performances for Bianconeri are commendable.
Conclusion
There are no doubts regarding the quality and the potential of Pogba, but world records are meant to be smashed for players which can single handedly impact the outcome of the game.
Pogba would surely improve any squad but the money involved could mean a lot pressure for the Frenchman in years to come.
But with Manchester United aiming for glory and targeting trophies, coughing up £10 million is fair and with the Special One as mentor, the Red Devils might have a future recipient of Ballon D’Or in their squad.
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