London Football News

The Paul Pogba Problem: Manchester United’s Summer Transfer Headache

In 2012 Sir Alex Ferguson infamously opted to allow 19-year-old French star Paul Pogba to leave Old Trafford and he can’t have known that by doing so he was in fact letting a future World Cup winner leave for next to nothing.

Fast forward four years and the Premier League side had elected to break their club transfer record in order to bring the former Juventus man back to Manchester and once again the club finds itself having to deal with a massive transfer headache in the making.

A good EPL betting tip on Pogba’s future could be a move back to Turin, with Juventus being seemingly one of only a handful of sides ready to stump up the big cash needed to convince Man United to sell.

A number of possible destinations for Pogba are listed by Coral and as the transfer window nears its end, you can expect a great deal of activity.

Pogba’s agent, Mino Raiola, has publicly stated that his client wants to leave and has then stepped back to watch the sparks fly. Most of the club’s faithful fanbase have had enough of a player they deem to be a ‘disruption’ in the dressing room.

Manchester United boss Ole Gunnar Solskjaer, just months into perhaps the toughest job in the game, now has to balance out the pros and cons before making a decision on the future of his potential game-winning player.

Paul Pogba had, on the face of it, the best season of his career in 2018/19, netting 16 goals in all competition as well as finishing as the club’s top assist maker in Premier League action.

However statistics can be misleading. Whilst it’s true the 26-year-old was very effective in patches on the whole he was average for large chunks of the campaign and his demeanour and attitude was once again found wanting.

Man United finished outside the top four last seasons and the Old Trafford side must invest heavily to help the club break back into the Champions League spots, and you can get 10/11 with Paddy Power on this eventuality. 

Maurizio Sarri left Chelsea to take the hot seat at the Serie A champions and could be looking to make a real impact in the transfer market as his side looks to end their Champions League title drought.

One wonders just how well Pogba and Juventus star Cristiano Ronaldo might mix but if the move led to the Man United midfield maestro reliving the best form he hit during his previous stint in Italy, then he could well prove to be the missing piece of the jigsaw at the Allianz Stadium.

The likes or Real Madrid and PSG have also been linked with a big money move for Pogba but both sides are dealing with their own transfer headaches at present.

Zinedine Zidane has brought in a number of big money players already, Eden Hazard being the most costly, and is keen to offload Gareth Bale to help balance the books. However the Welshman steadfastly refuses to leave, causing much consternation at the Bernabeu.

Thomas Tuchel saw his PSG side romp to yet another Ligue 1 crown last term but faded in the final months of their season, with a Champions League defeat at the hands of Man United proving a massive jolt to the system.

Now the mega-rich French side has to decide what to do about Brazilian star Neymar, another player who has made his feelings about a summer transfer clear. So once again, any move for a big player would require first, the sale of their own superstar.

For now Pogba remains on the Man United payroll and has joined his team-mates on their pre-season tour. Whether he’ll still be contracted to the Premier League giants come the close of the summer transfer window is however very uncertain.




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