The term “talented” is perhaps the most abstract adjective one can ever find in the English language. In terms of football, “talented” is used to describe players who can single-handedly swing the match on his own, mostly by scoring goals using their solo flair and brilliance. But talent necessarily doesn’t mean scoring goals. Perhaps the best exhibit of this statement is Paul Labile Pogba.
Two decades after Newcastle United broke the bank by buying Alan Shearer from Blackburn Rovers for a then record £15 million, Manchester United have broken the record by securing the services of Paul Pogba for a record fee of £89 million. Although it has been hard to estimate the exact figures courtesy commission fees, it is safe to say that the amount has surely raised everyone’s eyebrows.
Changing Times
There can be no denial about the fact that Football has gone about a lot of changes and one major change has come especially via the transfer market. About two decades ago, a transfer fee of almost one-sixth of Pogba’s transfer value, was considered to be gargantuan. Today, the figure looks minuscule considering Bournemouth spent almost the same amount to secure Jordan Ibe’s services this season.
In the older days, the main channels of revenues for football clubs were mostly gate receipts, sponsors and prize money based on their league promotions. With the advent of new age social media and globalisation, football clubs have nowadays become business brands with pre-season tours and online endorsements serving as additional sources of income.
Is he worth it?
There is also a significant reason for Pogba having such a high value. If we see the world beaters of modern day football - Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale, Lionel Messi are all close to 30 years of age or above, which makes a major impact when concerned with endorsement brands.if we consider players below 30 years of age, apart from Neymar, nobody perhaps moves the crowd like Pogba does, whether it is with his dabs, his off-field Instagram account or by his sheer genius on the field.
However, a lot of questions rise because of Pogba’s playing position. Pogba isn’t really a prolific goal scorer like Zlatan Ibrahimovic or Luis Suarez. Nor is he a prolific winger like Gareth Bale who can take on the opposition defence on his own with his brilliant finesse and raw pace. That is perhaps why United legend Paul Scoles questioned the move himself, stating the fact that for such an amount, he would have wanted someone who could score you 50 goals in a season.
Any United fan will admit that Scholes was never known for his prolific goal scoring ability (his volleys were exceptional though) and this is the position where United has been unable to fill the void since his retirement. Paul Pogba, if utilised properly can do that perfectly. If he can serve for 8 or 10 seasons like the way Scholes did, United officials and the fans will be happy enough.
Perfect for Mourinho
Pogba fills the perfect criteria that Mourinho seeks in his players. He is tall and physical and really guards the ball well. He isn’t shy of doing tricks which were pretty well evident from United’s last match against Southampton. He also has an impressive 9 goals and 14 assists for Juventus last season and has great long shot technique. However, one ability which stats do not do justice is perhaps his vision and interception skills, which are perhaps the most valuable assets of a central midfielder.
Another aspect
Another major area which justifies Pogba’s price is perhaps his marketability and not to forget, his age. All of us who have played either FIFA or PES know that younger a player is, higher is his transfer value. If that player is a prodigy, the transfer value goes up even more. When you want to secure services of one of the best young talents but you cannot offer him Champions League football, then you need to loosen up your wallet a bit more.
Adapting to the changes
Pogba will need to adjust to life at England and although he was here during his growing years, a lot of adaptation will have to be made by him in order to succeed. Not only will it be adapting to the physical nature of the Premier League, but he will also have to gel well with his other teammates. For now, he has a bigger name than him in Zlatan Ibrahimovic with whom he will have to coordinate well which will also be pivotal to the level of success United can reach this season.
Also read: Why Daley Blind deserves to be in the starting lineup for Manchester United
Another change which has happened at United is the change of manager. Every new manager has his own way of coaching and managing and Jose Mourinho is no different. At times Pogba may have to play out of his comfort zones if Jose rotates the squad. All these factors will be important for Pogba as he works on his way to becoming the next sensation at Manchester.
Final Conclusion
It must be said that it is too early to say if United were correct in paying such high fees for a player who they had let go for almost free 4 seasons ago. United are currently not in the Champions league and given the way the Premier league has begun, there is no guarantee that United will be guaranteed a Champions League spot in the coming year.Thus a lot of time will be required before we can take our blades out and swerve at Ed Woodward or declare him as a Footballing genius.
For now, perhaps, it is safe to say that Paul Labille Pogba has just arrived in Manchester, with the promise of many great things.
