The transfer window is always an exciting time especially with so much money at the disposal of clubs and all signs of financial fair play out of the window. With still over a month to go, many players have already changed allegiances but no transfer has captured the world’s imagination quite like Paul Pogba’s.
Although his move to Manchester United isn’t quite done yet, and won’t it be amusing if it doesn’t happen after all the experts have claimed the deal should be wrapped up in another 48 hours. Anyone who has kept track of this particular transfer saga will know this deal has been in the making for quite some time. In fact, rumours of Pogba’s move to United surfaced back in January during the winter transfer window.
The rumours picked up again after the European Championship ended and finally his move seems to be on the verge of completion. But one has to wonder, why has it taken this long for a deal to materialise? If Pogba really wanted to move to his old club that badly, shouldn’t it have happened a lot sooner and more easily?
Here’s a look at the five reasons why the world is still waiting for Pogba to move to United:
1) Pogba’s history with Manchester United
Before anyone really knew the great things Paul Pogba was capable of, he managed a meager seven first-team appearances for Manchester United. Sir Alex Ferguson, quite surprisingly, failed to see his potential and barely gave him the chance to prove himself. His involvement with the first team was always a bone of contention between him and Sir Alex, so when he became a free agent in 2012 he opted to move to Juventus.
His relationship with Sir Alex wasn’t the best and according to his mother, he even made young Pogba cry for wanting to leave. It’s no surprise then he might be hesitant to join a team he had left behind some years ago. Now, he may not have very fond memories of his time at United but Ferguson is no longer manager and he may be hoping for a fresh start under Jose Mourinho.
However, Pogba should be wary of his possible new manager as the former Chelsea man isn’t the nicest boss on the block. The Premier League isn’t easy on the players either so Pogba better watch his back.
2) Pogba’s agent – Mino Raiola
Mino Raiola is perhaps one of the most well known sports agents around with clients like Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Romelu Lukaku, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Mario Balotelli and of course Paul Pogba. A former pizza chef, Raiola has come up in the world since then thanks mainly to his fluent knowledge of seven languages and Rob Jansen, who orchestrated the transfer of Dennis Bergkamp from Ajax to Inter Milan in 1993.
Raiola has played a huge part in the talks for the transfer of Pogba. He has been all over the place talking to Juventus officials and Pogba in Florida trying to hammer out a deal that works for his client and especially himself as he stands to make €20 million if a deal goes through.
He is known to convince clubs and players to accept the most outrageous deals and €110 million for Pogba is outrageous, to say the least, especially when Juventus got him after paying a measly sum of €800,000.
It was reported that Pogba wanted a move to Real Madrid but since the Los Blancos refused to meet his asking price, Raiola has since pushed for a move to United who are willing to shell out an insane amount of money for him. After all, more money for Pogba is more money for Mino Raiola.
3) Who’s to say Pogba will be good at Manchester United
The Premier League is a tough place and Paul Pogba will be determined to prove himself in the league he started out from. While there is no doubt as to the depths of his talent, there is absolutely no guarantee he will arrive at United and continue his amazing form from Juventus. First division English football is harsh and physically challenging like no other league and it might take him some getting used to.
United fans have to only think back to the debacle that was Angel di Maria at the club to realize the truth of the matter. While no one doubts Di Maria’s skills and talent,he was not the right fit for the Red Devils, so United fans be warned, the €110 million might seem like a waste, after all who can live up to such a high price tag?
4) Does Pogba not want to play in the Champions League?
Pogba must be used to winning the league title and playing in the Champions League by now. He even came so close to winning Euro 2016 with France. So one must wonder, why is he going to Manchester United of all places. They have come nowhere close to top spot in the Premier League in the last three years and neither have they fared well in the Champions League. In fact, United didn’t even qualify for the Champions League this year.
If rumours are to be believed, Pogba actually wanted to go to Real Madrid and it was his agent who pushed him towards United. Unfortunately for him, this means he has to make do with playing in the second tier Europa Cup. Talk about selling yourself short…
Even if Pogba is willing to wait a year and help his team qualify for the Champions League next season, he’d do well to look around his possible new league and check out how well they are preparing for the coming season and the level of competition that is headed his way.
5) Hammering out the details of a huge transfer deal
Mino Raiola has not budged from the asking price of €110 million for even a second. It’s no wonder a deal hasn’t yet materialised and fans are still waiting for a confirmation of the move. Such a huge deal takes time even though there haven’t been too many takers except for Real Madrid and United.
While United like to throw money around, €110 million must be a lot for them too and only someone as audacious as Mourinho would even pursue a player who is priced so high. Even Juventus must be surprised they’re getting their asking price although, they did go ahead and sign Gonzalo Higuain for €90 million (totally not worth it).
A huge transfer deal like this has many details that need to be hammered out – weekly wages, terms of the contract, bonuses to Juventus and of course Mino Raiola’s hefty bonus.
For the sake of the United fans, let’s hope the deal finally goes through and one of the world’s best arrives at the Premier League to show us what he’s got.
