Should Paul Pogba Return to the Premier League, and Is He Worth £100M?
As the January window closed without a transfer over £30 million, many have been quick to announce winter's business period as unnecessary and relatively boring. The main culprit in this apparent drab is transfer conjecture/speculation often being more interesting than the completed deals.
Seemingly involved in mouth-watering rumours with every major European club—and specifically Premier League sides—is Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba.
Whether Chelsea (per The Independent's Tom Sheen), Manchester City (per the Daily Mail's Sami Mokbel), Manchester United (per the Daily Express' David Wright) or Arsenal (per Metro's Jamie Sanderson)—the thirst for Pogba in England is desert-like for great reason.
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Serie A's methodical, slower-paced game tends to be dominated by powerful, striding midfielders; the burgeoning Pogba has no better league to showcase and hone his vast skill set. Receiving time on the pitch and an environment to thrive, Pogba is a massive fish in a relatively large Turin pond.
The winsome Frenchman would be a cornerstone for every side in Europe. Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain are always options for the world's best players, but an almost arrogant mentality makes England seem like the destination for most footballing talent.
Despite his first stint on the British Isles, a second spell would seem a matter of time—especially considering the Olympic-sized-swimming-pool amount of ink the papers have spilled on his future.
But should Pogba's return feel so compulsory? In a word: No.
Already having an opportunity with the biggest club in England over the past quarter-century, Manchester United were not able to hold onto the prodigious talent, and he moved to Italy in 2012. Sir Alex Ferguson made few mistakes in his 26-year term at Old Trafford, but not establishing a positive relationship with Pogba could be his biggest blunder.
Manchester United have the financial capability to buy the Juventus wunderkind, but there are two strikes against them. Firstly, would Pogba return to the club which failed to give him an opportunity? Team-mate Andrea Pirlo, via ESPN FC's Richard Jolly, seems to think not; and lastly: Will the Red Devils regain Champions League football?
Both are unknowns.
Louis van Gaal's side are sitting on 43 points with 15 Premier League games left; but Southampton (42), Arsenal (42), Tottenham Hotspur (40) and Liverpool (38) are all loitering around the third and fourth positions. Pogba's true feelings toward the club of his youth are a mystery, but each component leaves doubt.
Were Pogba to be interested in storylines, switching shirts four years later and wearing Manchester City's blue would certainly cause hysteria.
Needing a long-term replacement for Yaya Toure in the heart of midfield, Pogba would seem a natural heir to the Ivorian, but a battle with financial fair play would create problems.
According to the Guardian's Owen Gibson, City can only lose €20/£15 million net in 2014 and €10/£7.5 million net in 2015, otherwise they would subject themselves to further UEFA sanctions. Pogba's value would make selling a handful of players to balance their books necessary; destroying your team for one player is nonsensical, and therefore Pogba's move to City is doable in computer games—but hardly possible in reality.
Ironically, selling players has become something of an art in west London. Chelsea have banked large sums for Kevin De Bruyne, Juan Mata, David Luiz, Romelu Lukaku and Andre Schurrle over the past 13 months.
There seems every reason to think the Blues have the capital to afford Pogba, but Jose Mourinho cannot offer him what he will invariably want: An automatic place in his starting XI. Nemanja Matic and Cesc Fabregas represent, arguably, the Premier League's two best midfielders; Pogba would require either a formational change or the reassignment of Fabregas to the "No. 10" role, displacing Oscar.
Normally staunch in his methodology, Mourinho shuffling his Stamford Bridge project to accommodate Pogba would seem unlikely. If the Frenchman desperately wanted to move, however, Mourinho rejecting the notion is highly doubtful.
In north London, Arsenal are in dire need of a domineering, world-class central midfielder. Since the inclusion of defensive-minded Francis Coquelin, the Gunners have conceded just one Premier League goal in five games.
An improvement on his station would create something special, but Arsene Wenger paying the gargantuan amount of money required to pry Pogba from Turin would be an ad-lib from the conservative script from which he normally reads.
Wright of the Express suggested Juventus want £77 million for the French international. Only two players in the history of world football have cost more than the alleged figure, and both Cristiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale went to Real Madrid.
With teams from England and the continent interested, £77 million could be the basement price. Bale, the most expensive player ever, went for £85.3 million—per BBC Sport—and the Welshman was 24. Three years younger (and proven on the international level), Pogba's bidding war could reach unseen numbers.
The £100 million-mark has been posited as a potential sum; in the current climate you must view the number as plausible/warranted considering talent and age; an English club prepared to drop that amount of money for one player is difficult to envision, but not impossible.
Come the summer window's opening, Pogba's name will invariably be linked with the Premier League and many are sure to be refreshing their timelines awaiting news; but if Pogba wants to fulfill his talent, there is an argument he should continue his progress as Juventus' top dog.
Pogba has the clout to move wherever and whenever he wants, and should consider resurfacing in the Premier League eventually—but only after he has fully completed his development at Juventus Stadium.
Climate change is real and ocean levels are rising, but England isn't going anywhere soon—so no need to rush back for the 21-year-old.
*Stats via WhoScored.com; transfer fees via Soccerbase.com where not noted.
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