Paul Pogba | Undergoing Medical | Helping out the Laundry Ladies

Do you want Pogba for £100 million?

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Adisa said:
Can you please post the article?
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The Frenchman's agent always said if his client left Juventus it would be for a "top club" - so why has he joined a side that can't even offer Champions League football?

Mino Raiola is well suited to his profession. The so-called 'super-agent' is a shrewd reader of the transfer market and has a flair for hyperbole. In January of last year, he boldly proclaimed of Paul Pogba, "He will break Cristiano Ronaldo’s transfer record because there can be only one Mona Lisa."

Whether you agree with the latter clause, the former is now set to become fact: Paul Pogba will become the most expensive footballer of all time, with Manchester United agreeing to pay Juventus €110 million to take him back to Old Trafford.

It was always accepted that Pogba would eventually part company with the Bianconeri. Raiola has never made any secret of that. "We've always said we'll be able to leave when we feel the time is right, with the right project, the right team and all of the parties are in agreement," he stated in November 2015. So why, in July 2016, is his most prized possession now joining United?

While a historic accord was reached between United and Juventus that suits two parties (at least financially), looking at this deal from Pogba's perspective, this is the wrong time, the wrong project and the wrong team.

Firstly, there is the timing. Pogba is leaving Juventus just when they appear to have their best chance of winning the Champions League. As Bianconeri boss Massimiliano Allegri stated four days ago, "Anyone who has the opportunity to leave Juventus has to consider things very carefully because right now Juve are among the top four European clubs."

Yet Pogba is moving to a side that weren't even among the top four in England last season. The France international wants to win the Champions League - that dream is now at least another two years away.

Admittedly, Pogba is just 23 and he will have convinced himself that he is buying into a long-term project aimed at restoring United to their former pre-eminence among England's elite. However, the once-proud protectors of 'The Manchester United Way' have entrusted that responsibility to Jose Mourinho, a manager who has never spent more than three seasons at one club.

Of course, Mourinho has sanctioned some typically high-profile signings, chief among them Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Henrikh Mkhitaryan. However, the former is a modern great but is now 34 and has only signed on for one season. Meanwhile, there is a question mark over Mkhitaryan's ability to adjust to the Premier League. The Armenian is an attacking midfielder of rare quality but the last Borussia Dortmund playmaker to pitch up at Old Trafford certainly didn't fare so well...

Mourinho has some wonderful young talent to work, including Marcus Rashford, but then, the Portuguese has never been a coach under whom talented teenagers have flourished.

The point is not to cast Mourinho in a negative light but to merely point out that after losing dressing rooms in his last two managerial positions, at Chelsea and Real Madrid, there is sufficient uncertainty surrounding his suitability to the United job to make one wonder why Pogba has left a stable, successful side in Turin for a team in transition.

Then again, the sentimentality of the situation cannot be underestimated. Pogba may well feel that he has unfinished business at Old Trafford. He bears no ill will towards Sir Alex Ferguson but remains bitterly upset by the fact that he was never given a proper chance to shine under the former United boss. "I was in love with Manchester and I was a Mancunian," he toldFourFourTwo last year.

However, it still seems strange for a player driven by winning titles and being the best player he can be to have decided that now is the time to return. He could have either pushed for a move to reigning European champions Madrid or spent another season in Turin, where he would have been guaranteed another shot at the Champions League while he closely monitored how Mourinho was faring in Manchester.

Instead, Pogba has taken a huge gamble with his career - one that is only certain to pay off financially.

“If Paul leaves Juventus, it will be for the absolute top,” Raiola insisted last year. However, even the most die-hard United fan would grudgingly admit that United are no longer at the pinnacle of European football.

Pogba may well be a work of art - but he is now a part of what is very much a work in progress.
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Giggs86 said:
I see that a lot of people bring up the Thiago saga. What was that all about? I wasn't really involved in that because I never rated the player.
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He had a low release clause and wanted to leave due to lack of games. De Gea wrote "see you in Manchester" on his match ball after scoring a hat trick in the U21 Euros. Graham Hunter was close to Thiagos dad and it looked likely to happen. July 1st, Moyes seemed to pour cold water on it immediately. Guardiola waded in and they had the deal wrapped up in a matter of days. Heartbreak for all involved. I've never muppeted the same since.
 
I don't understand how an agent can have enough control over a player to earn himself such a huge fee. The agent is nothing without the player, the player is still who he is without the agent. I'd guess that many players retire and realise they got taken to the cleaners.
 
http://sportwitness.co.uk/marca-manchester-united-pogba-varane/

It's great to see Real Madrid being so bitter and hostile towards us over Pogba. For the so-called biggest club in the world they really do go to great lengths to try and prove that they are bigger and better than us. I'll never forget how they Photoshop'd that stadium photograph of the friendly match to add more white shirts. Pathetic club.
 
This is hilarious. So many people shitting bricks after everything that's happened? It's a done deal guys. It's probably been agreed for a week they just don't want to make it public yet.

The chef and the hairdresser both say he's coming, what more do you need? the housekeeper too?
 
Adam-Utd said:
This is hilarious. So many people shitting bricks after everything that's happened? It's a done deal guys. It's probably been agreed for a week they just don't want to make it public yet.

The chef and the hairdresser both say he's coming, what more do you need? the housekeeper too?
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Would be a bonus I suppose.

I think the deal's done. It's going to be an annoying weekend I feel though.
 
Adam-Utd said:
This is hilarious. So many people shitting bricks after everything that's happened? It's a done deal guys. It's probably been agreed for a week they just don't want to make it public yet.

The chef and the hairdresser both say he's coming, what more do you need? the housekeeper too?
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Unless his new housekeeper is in Madrid...
 
Mitchell Nicholas said:
Reminiscent of this:



Florentino Perez saying Suarez isn't a great player after the Uruguayan joined Barcelona.
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Isn't that very clearly a tongue-in-cheek remark by Perez in that video? But yes, the AS and Marca excuses are ridiculous and cringeworthy.
 
From the sports witness article:

On Wednesday, Marca went to quite some length to explain that had Real Madrid wanted Paul Pogba then they would have got him. Yes, he’s very expensive, but Marca explained that Real Madrid would have found a way to do the deal.


After all, Marca also pointed out that Real Madrid was Pogba’s first choice.

Inconveniently, a week ago the same newspaper said Pogba had chosen Manchester United, and only saw Real Madrid as an alternative.

It wasn’t just Marca. An AS column on Wednesday pointed out that Pogba this week posted an Instagram image, in which he was wearing all white. Pogba’s message was one of peace to the world, but AS insinuated that instead he was winking to the blancos of Real Madrid. Maybe just using peace as, you know, a convenient cover.

Not only that, AS said that the biggest stars of football always get to move where and when they want, like Cristiano Ronaldo and David Beckham. Whilst it can’t be denied that Ronaldo’s dream was always Real Madrid, Beckham says something very different.

Speaking to the BBC in 2013, Beckham said: “I don’t regret it because it was out of my hands, I don’t regret leaving Man… well, I don’t regret leaving, making that decision, because as I said it wasn’t my decision.

“I found out that Manchester United wanted to sell me and the only time that I spoke to Real Madrid was the day after that came out.”

That followed him explaining in his autobiography: ‘I never wanted to leave’

It’s no surprise that Marca’s Thursday front page is another nod to Real Madrid’s superiority over Manchester United: ‘VARANE SAYS NO TO MOU’

Manchester United, and two other unnamed Premier League clubs (Who needs their name? This is firmly Marca sniping at United!), are said to have approached Real Madrid with formal offers of €40m. The £30m+ is ‘very interesting from an economic point of view’ but Varane rejected the chance.

Marca say: ‘Also the Old Trafford club, through Mou himself, made Varane aware of interest. He made it clear that he wanted him on his team… Varane, however, declined the proposal of the Portuguese coach.’

That’s page 1&2 of Marca, on page 3 is a story about Alvaro Morata, and of course it’s stated Manchester United wanted him as well, and were ejected.

Then it’s continued on page 32, yes they’re not letting go. The Pogba deal is described as ‘lunacy’.

A Spanish journalist explains: ‘In my opinion, he is far from being a crack, if by that we mean Messi, Cristiano, Bale, Neymar… and a few more.

‘It is really crazy, for a very good player, yes, but he is not, in my ranking, among the 10 best in the world right now.’

In June of this year, Marca reported Zinedine Zidane had already held talks with Pogba twice, to convince him to choose Real Madrid. Another Marca report in June stated ‘Juventus and Real Madrid will sit down to negotiate soon’.

In September of last year, Marca decided to give Manchester United a good kicking over the David De Gea failed transfer, saying it was all the fault of the English club.

They didn’t stop there, and wheeled out AC Milan’s Adriano Galliani using Mark Twain to describe Manchester when Kaka almost moved to Manchester City, it was clear Marca agreed.

American writer Twain described 1800s industrial revolution Manchester in not a very flattering light: ‘I would like to live in Manchester, England. The transition between Manchester and death would be unnoticeable.’

Manchester was repeatedly described as grim, and not a place top footballers wanted to be.

Now it’s both Manchester United and Paul Pogba who are the target of snipes, and Marca would quite clearly be thrilled to see both, should the transfer happen, fail miserably.
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Mental, this is football, not politics ffs. You're not trying to win votes here.
 
Which one is the Barcelona favouring newspaper? I know Marca are the RM mouthpiece, but there is supposed to be one more geared towards Barcelona?
 
VanGaalEra said:
From the sports witness article:



Mental, this is football, not politics ffs. You're not trying to win votes here.
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They are taking this challenge of "kings of football" seriously. Shame we haven't got a paper that can counter with a "madrids fax machine is rubbish"
 
This is brilliant, Real who have had everything there own way regarding transfers, finally have met their match. Who gives a flip how much Pogba costs. He is coming back to his 1st family guys
 
Now there's talk of Pogba earning £290,000 after tax a week, apparently we've bought his image rights while agreeing to give him an extra £4.2m a season for them.

Obviously this could be a tax avoision ploy for his benefit or we're confident that he'll be a big success off the pitch with merchandising, social media marketing etc that will help us capitalize on our huge contingent of internet fans.

All these factor's come in to a players valuation in today's game, the 90 mins on the pitch have been surpassed by the business aspect, the huge commercial opportunity World wide that Pogba's signing affords will allow the club to maximise revenue from those fans of ours that may never see him in person.
 
Marca: The same paper who photoshopped a picture of an overwhelmingly United crowd to white in an attempt to make it seem like Madrid had the most supporters at a preseason game v United. Bitter.
 
I'll be happy if we sign Pogba, I think he's a quality player, and has great potential. Most would agree on that, the only question mark is his price.

I'm wondering, as a big question regarding his 'value' is who else we could have got, how would you have felt about Alli instead at half the price? It's easy to make lazy comparisons between them due to them both being tall, rangey, black, young footballers, but I actually think they're very similar as footballers. Both are more about being able to stride beyond an opponent, and odd moments of magic rather than the intricate passing or always available nature of Iniesta or Modric.

So do you think Pogba offers significantly more than Alli? I can help but feel, as pleased as I'll be about Pogba, that we may have been able to tempt Alli and Spurs with a bid of £50-60m for him.
 
I've never seen so many opposition team fans trying to downplay Utd as a small team. Maybe if they say it enough it will become true? We are a global superpower and 3 rough years doesn't change that.
 
SwansonsTache said:
Which one is the Barcelona favouring newspaper? I know Marca are the RM mouthpiece, but there is supposed to be one more geared towards Barcelona?
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Mundo Deportivo and Sport are Barça favouring while Marca and AS unofficially support Real Madrid.
 
This saga is summing up everything that is wrong with modern football - and you can sense why Fergie began to dislike agents so much.

Unfortunately that's just the way it is, I hope we get the deal done.
 


#calciomercatopremium @c_raimondi"the Commission of @MinoRaiola @paulpogba 20% is the transfer, about 22 million". @juventusfc
 
Madrid are burning bridges. Keep it up so he will never want to play for your club.
 
Classical Mechanic said:
And in Spain they are actually trying to win votes.
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Also god forbid that word goes around that the Galacticos were outgunned by some other club. Most of their merchandising prowess lie on the fact that they are the undisputed top dogs in football. Its like a Ferrari being beaten in a race by Toyota Yaris. It wont sound nice among those who spend ridiculous amount of money to own such flashy car
 
Bunch of bloody cry babies that lot.

God the amount of jimmies we are rustling with this deal is worth the cost alone.:lol:
 
Adam-Utd said:
They are taking this challenge of "kings of football" seriously. Shame we haven't got a paper that can counter with a "madrids fax machine is rubbish"
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We could brief the papers to sling shit right back at Real Madrid, but we don't, because we're not run by a pathetic, petulant child like Perez.
 
The funny thing is this will happen again and again. Just imagine our commercial income when we start delivering the goods on the field again as well. We will likely be the first club to break the 1bn\year income. With 37% increase in income is the yearly normal during the barren years, imagine when success returns :drool:

£100m bids for everyone! And sour grapes everywhere!
 
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