Set of players we can buy for €120m - would you still want Pogba?

7 years ago. Its broke the world record fee by quite a margin. If we sold him the year before we would have got £100m.

£80m was cheap for him even 7 years ago.
 
But the Pogba money is so supremely stupid that it needn't be spent on 4 average players, most of us would settle for 2 really good ones. It's not like there are no examples of teams swapping one great player for several good ones is it? Juventus did just that with the Zidane money - they bought the likes of Thuram and Nedved and had plenty of success.
Look at this thread and see the names that are being mentioned and you'll realise its slim pickings. In what world is Kroos leaving Madrid to come to us? Verratti is a total no go zone. The clubs that have these players are clubs that won't be selling them. Or we're gonna end up in a situation where we get Mangala + sterling.
You think if we get Pogba, we'll keep him for his career like Juve did with Nedved/Buffon?
We definitely will, he'd need to turn into some freak of nature or flop badly for us to give up on him.
 
When we had SAF we weren't ahead of Real by way of attraction.



4 years into that contract, if Pogba has a year left, we won't recover much of the fee.



They got Ronaldo for £80m. That's cheap as chips. I don't know about you but I thought it was quite low a bid to go for at the time.

Well, as it seems he'll have to choose between us and Real Madrid this summer. I guess that if he chooses us, it will be a well thought decision and he won't ask to leave after a season or two. Until Mourinho was appointed, most people believed that De Gea was already a Madrid player and that we renewed his contract only to get a higher fee. Which isn't the case.

If Pogba expresses the desire to leave after, let's say, four years (with one year remaining on his contract), we will already have made most of that money back (or gain even more) from his image rights. Adidas already treat him as the next big thing in football.

The fee for Ronaldo could have been much higher, if our decision was to play hardball with Real Madrid that summer. Ferguson prioritized the team and convinced Ronaldo to stay for another season with the promise that we would not sabotage the deal.
 
Real, City, PSG are a few big names who don't seem to be in the running for Pogba at this price.

Can we name a set of players we can get for €120m and justify Pogba against that?

Draxler, Kante, Payet can all be bought under this budget. A ball winning midfield engine, advanced midfielder that can play central or wide, and an actual winger to compliment Martial. It would give us different options in unlocking a defence.

I would rather buy these 3 than Pogba alone. What other concoction of players would you buy that would be better than buying Pogba? Or, do you think Pogba alone is the best way to spend €120m?

Note: I know money is no object to Man Utd, and we pay dividends to the Glazers that makes this sum look normal. Its not a question about affordability though, its just rational thought, where would you spend €120m? If all on Pogba then fair enough, but I'd like to pick your brain on why.

Absurd that you think we could get Draxler, Kante and Payet for 120m EUR. Payet alone would got for £80m given that he seems happy there and no EPL clubs need to sell players they don't want to anymore. Wolfsburg got ~£50m for KDB and I would expect them to sell Draxler for a comparable amount.

Secondly, those three players would not improve us as much as Pogba. Kante has had one good season but is very defensive minded and we don't have the creativity in midfield to justify playing such a defensive minded player. Payet would of course improve us (assuming he carries on this form, again he has only had the one excellent season) but he would take Martial's place and nobody wants that. Draxler is a good player, but again is inconsistent and who would make way for him?

I am a Pogba supporter and here is why. Our biggest weakness at this point in time is CM. Specifically a player that can pick the ball up in midfield and drive forward, taking on players and pick out a killer pass at the end of it. Pogba is one of the best in the world with those specific attributes already and will only (probably) improve. I can think of no way to spend 120m that will have a bigger impact, and that is ignoring the de-stabilizing effect of signing 7 first team players in one window.

Herrera-Schneiderlin-Pogba
Micki-Ibra-Martial

Has excellent balance as well as very good talent. It would be one of the most energetic midfields in the world and if Schneiderlin rediscovers his form then it will dominate most games. Herrera can obviously be rotated with Carrick/Basti if more nous/experience is required.
 
We don't need 2-3 more top quality players, our squad would be too stacked.

Buying Pogba for £100million is a total statement to everybody else and it could elevate us to Bayern/Barca/Madrid level.
I don't think buying Pogba could remotely elevate us to those team's level.
 
Absurd that you think we could get Draxler, Kante and Payet for 120m EUR. Payet alone would got for £80m given that he seems happy there and no EPL clubs need to sell players they don't want to anymore. Wolfsburg got ~£50m for KDB and I would expect them to sell Draxler for a comparable amount.

Secondly, those three players would not improve us as much as Pogba. Kante has had one good season but is very defensive minded and we don't have the creativity in midfield to justify playing such a defensive minded player. Payet would of course improve us (assuming he carries on this form, again he has only had the one excellent season) but he would take Martial's place and nobody wants that. Draxler is a good player, but again is inconsistent and who would make way for him?

I am a Pogba supporter and here is why. Our biggest weakness at this point in time is CM. Specifically a player that can pick the ball up in midfield and drive forward, taking on players and pick out a killer pass at the end of it. Pogba is one of the best in the world with those specific attributes already and will only (probably) improve. I can think of no way to spend 120m that will have a bigger impact, and that is ignoring the de-stabilizing effect of signing 7 first team players in one window.

Herrera-Schneiderlin-Pogba
Micki-Ibra-Martial

Has excellent balance as well as very good talent. It would be one of the most energetic midfields in the world and if Schneiderlin rediscovers his form then it will dominate most games. Herrera can obviously be rotated with Carrick/Basti if more nous/experience is required.

Bit lost here. Why can we not get all 3? And if not we can sub say Draxler for mahrez (reportedly has a cheap buyout). Activating mahrez and Kante buyouts should leave around 60m for Payet. Or even James Rodriguez.

Or, we could match or beat citys new bid for bonnuci and still get one other. 120m EUR is a lot to consider.
 
If Real Madrid are scared away by the price of Pogba, then we really should be worried on how much we are willing to spend on him. He is a very, very good player, but not really a difference maker. There are other options for midfield, starting with Kante.
 
Absurd that you think we could get Draxler, Kante and Payet for 120m EUR. Payet alone would got for £80m given that he seems happy there and no EPL clubs need to sell players they don't want to anymore. Wolfsburg got ~£50m for KDB and I would expect them to sell Draxler for a comparable amount.

Secondly, those three players would not improve us as much as Pogba. Kante has had one good season but is very defensive minded and we don't have the creativity in midfield to justify playing such a defensive minded player. Payet would of course improve us (assuming he carries on this form, again he has only had the one excellent season) but he would take Martial's place and nobody wants that. Draxler is a good player, but again is inconsistent and who would make way for him?

I am a Pogba supporter and here is why. Our biggest weakness at this point in time is CM. Specifically a player that can pick the ball up in midfield and drive forward, taking on players and pick out a killer pass at the end of it. Pogba is one of the best in the world with those specific attributes already and will only (probably) improve. I can think of no way to spend 120m that will have a bigger impact, and that is ignoring the de-stabilizing effect of signing 7 first team players in one window.

Herrera-Schneiderlin-Pogba
Micki-Ibra-Martial

Has excellent balance as well as very good talent. It would be one of the most energetic midfields in the world and if Schneiderlin rediscovers his form then it will dominate most games. Herrera can obviously be rotated with Carrick/Basti if more nous/experience is required.

Whilst I generally would agree with this, I'm still not overly convinced with regards Pogba's ability to dominate or control a game, nor with his temperament. Money in the English game is at a ridiculous high right now, and I can see the merits in spending this much on one player if he were to be head and shoulders above anyone else in the league. I'm just not sure that Pogba is that man. Unfortunately, there really aren't too many options for us given the availability (or lack thereof) around at the minute, especially for a team that has no CL football next season.

Pogba will likely improve us, almost certainly in fact. However, whilst I would be fairly happy to see him back at the club, no matter the price, I still can't help but feel that there are other options that should be explored. For that sort of money, we could possibly look at Saul Niguez (£68m) and Matuidi (reported £20m), or, less likely imo, Kante (£20m). I honestly think that would be a better investment.
 
If Real Madrid are scared away by the price of Pogba, then we really should be worried on how much we are willing to spend on him. He is a very, very good player, but not really a difference maker. There are other options for midfield, starting with Kante.

If he is Mourinho's choice for the midfield what Real Madrid think is really irrelevant. If Mourinho truly wanted Kante as his main man in the midfield, we would have got him by now. Apparently, he's doesn't.
 
Kante and Pogba are completely different players.... why do so many people think that he is an alternative???

alternatives to spending 120m on him not an alternative to pogba.
 
4 years into that contract, if Pogba has a year left, we won't recover much of the fee.
If you read my initial reply, you'd see that I said as long as we kept Pogba under contract. So we would ensure that he never runs down his contract by providing regular contract extensions.
 
If you read my initial reply, you'd see that I said as long as we kept Pogba under contract. So we would ensure that he never runs down his contract by providing regular contract extensions.

OK fair enough yeah. But I don't think it's easy to lock him down on much of an upgrade or pay rise when hed already be joining on 300k pw. Football is a fickle thing and we aren't Real Madrid by way of an absolute end goal for players. If he wanted real initially now, then it will be itching him for the rest of his career.
 
If Real Madrid are scared away by the price of Pogba, then we really should be worried on how much we are willing to spend on him. He is a very, very good player, but not really a difference maker. There are other options for midfield, starting with Kante.

Correct in that if Madrid are reluctant at that price, it would be a warning, but then Madrid doesn't NEED him to make them better like we do. They already have a top class midfield and it would be hard to shoehorn him into a balanced midfield, unless they start selling guys like Kroos & Isco. Kroos looks to be a possibility to move, but still the slots are limited and they actually have very few needs.

Honestly, I'm a bit done with going for value. If a player at 1/2 the price offers about 75-80% effectiveness, it's still not worth it, as you still have to make up the 20-25% somewhere else. Identify the targets and get them. If necessary, go Plan B if Plan A goes tits up, but get it done sooner than later. Tired of all the brinkmanship. Let the small fry try to plug holes late in the window.
 
OK fair enough yeah. But I don't think it's easy to lock him down on much of an upgrade or pay rise when hed already be joining on 300k pw. Football is a fickle thing and we aren't Real Madrid by way of an absolute end goal for players. If he wanted real initially now, then it will be itching him for the rest of his career.
I think he wants Barca or Madrid, but yes that's right. I think the Mino is trying to Pogba to come here for a few years and then move to either of those clubs later. That enables us to get Pogba now, gets Mino a large payday, Pogba can prove himself in the PL after all these years while working under Mourinho and it allows Pogba to finally get his "dream move" to either Madrid or Barca.
 
I meant there was 20 mil appearance based fee. If he is doing so so, he would cost 60 mil = that poster's valuation of Verrati.

If Sanchez can't even make enough appearance to trigger the appearance fee then he must be injured a lot or stink up the place. Bayern had to pay 40mil up front anyways.

Price difference between Verrati vs uncertain potential can't be 20 mil in this market?!
I understood totally, just found it funny that you went in so technically
 
I'd take Verratti and Weigl if that's possible! That would mean our midfield is sorted for next 10 years at least.
 
Griezmann + Kante

No similar player to Pogba around
 
it's nothing like we've won the lottery or got the jackpot with selling, i am sure club can spend 120 million for every ducking year. Manchester United is the best financially managed football club, i believe management team has a good plan and calculations for next ten years. Glazers are professionals, they won't spend like that without any proper calculations. Get yourself some popcorn, then relax, enjoy, mock rivals and smile at those huge amounts of money
 
Payet is 29 and West Ham would ask for something like 70 mil Euros. Draxler is highly inconsistent and yet Wolfsbug would still want 60 mil plus Euros for him .

Neither of them play in the position we are trying to sign ,but in positions we have already addressed this summer.

For once ,it actually looks there is some planning behind our transfers and people just want us to spend on a random bunch because we can use the money better.
 
This is silly cause in real life, theres so many factors that come into it.

Does the player want to go?
This is probably the most important factor. You say we can buy Kante for 35m or whatever... who says Kante wants to join us? Leicester are champions. They're in the Champions League. Why would he want to join us when he's probably got the likes of Real Madrid and PSG after his signature? He's French remember, nothing suggests he would prefer a move to United over the likes of them. Pogba has connections here. And Kroos probably wouldn't want to leave Madrid unless they get rid of him.

Are the wages high enough?
This is another factor. Remember last season when we only got 7m for Nani? That was because the guy was on close to 200k a week. No clubs were lining up for his signature due to his high wages. If he was on say... 90k a week, a lot more teams would be in for him and we probably would have got at least 10m more. Gauranteed. This is why the likes of Liverpool pay over the odds for the likes of Mane, Benteke, etc. If you noticed, all those guys came from midtable clubs. Liverpool couldn't buy a Vidal with that 35m cause he wouldn't want to join them. They also probably wouldn't pay his 250k a week compared to Mane's 90k a week. Think about it.

Is the agent happy to negotiate with us?
Probably the most important factor. Mendes, Raiola all enjoy negotiating with Mourinho. Mendes himself is Mourinho's agent, so it's safe to assume that any Mendes client would be linked with United now. Which can only be good news for us.
-----------------

To sum it up, Pogba is just the bigger name and bigger signing. I think it's great that we're prepared to spend this much on one player. It's about time we started acting like the biggest club in the world. At the end of the day, it's just money and it's not coming out of my pocket, so I'm just happy that we can potentially see one of the worlds best young players in a United jersey again.
 
De Gea
--Valencia-----Smalling-----Bailley---------Shaw---
--Schneiderlin--
--Rooney-------Pogba----
----Mkhitaryan-------------------------------------Martial-------
--Ibrahimovic--
That team on paper to be looks very solid (if this transfer can actually be pulled off)

A few people have said that the defence lets us down but I feel (based on Bailleys critics) that we have a young talented CB partnership.

Over the past few years, we set out to replace our aging squad. And that transition is looking complete.

The depth we have in talent is getting there now and I for one, am very excited.
Looks like crap cause Rooney is in it and Mourinho has already said that he would never play him there.
 
This man can't be worth £100m. Would rather get Griezmann for that amount and put him behind Ibra or on the right. Rooney being in an advanced role is as big a hole as the one we have in midfield anyway.
 
Payet is 29 and West Ham would ask for something like 70 mil Euros. Draxler is highly inconsistent and yet Wolfsbug would still want 60 mil plus Euros for him .

Neither of them play in the position we are trying to sign ,but in positions we have already addressed this summer.

For once ,it actually looks there is some planning behind our transfers and people just want us to spend on a random bunch because we can use the money better.
Spot on and was about to write similar to this. Not forgetting we'd be buying a 23 year old yet to hit his peak who could get our midfield general for perhaps a decade or so. Worth every penny if we can get him.
 
Spot on and was about to write similar to this. Not forgetting we'd be buying a 23 year old yet to hit his peak who could get our midfield general for perhaps a decade or so. Worth every penny if we can get him.
Some people seem to think thats its only Juve that would charge us a premium.

Monaco charged us 80 million euros(including clauses for an unproven youngster), Bayern got charged the same for another unproven youngster too.
 
It's not my money, but I'd rather spend it on Kante and a deep midfielder to partner him.

Kante and Kroos for example, wouldn't cost anywhere near that.

I'm a firm believer in the 'It's not my money' argument. The clubs have outlandish amounts of money these days anyways and does it really make a difference how much a player costs? If he improves us, I'm happy with whoever we buy for whatever the amount.
 
51YUmth-p7L._AC_UL320_SR164,320_.jpg
 
We should take Varane, Kroos + James off Madrid so they could buy 1 Pogba.
 
This man can't be worth £100m. Would rather get Griezmann for that amount and put him behind Ibra or on the right. Rooney being in an advanced role is as big a hole as the one we have in midfield anyway.
That would be great - re Griezmann, but he is happy in Madrid I think which is the most important thing to consider with high profile players. Pogba on the other hand is open for a move.
 
It's not my money, but I'd rather spend it on Kante and a deep midfielder to partner him.

Kante and Kroos for example, wouldn't cost anywhere near that.
Yeah I've never got the "not my money" argument. So if we spend £100m on Ibra that's fine cos it's not our money? Would £400m be fine cos it's not our money?
 
Why do people keep mentioning Kroos? He hasn't shown the least bit of inclination to wanting to leave Madrid, he isn't going to just pick up himself and leave if we throw 60 million at Madrid.

That's the big thing with this transfer, no current player in this strata is available to United, or has shown any desire to want to come. Veratti isn't going anywhere, Kroos, Griezmann, Aubameyang etc etc are all seemingly happy where they are or would end up costing just as much or more.

Also great players want to play with great players. That's how Madrid got this reputation of being THE team that everyone wants to go to, by signing the best players regardless of the cost. If we truly want to be back up there with the best in Europe then we need the best of the best, not some magical combination of other inferior players (And the ones who are actually gettable are inferior players) and Pogba is a step in the right direction.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Varun
I've never got the "I've never got "not my money" argument", argument.
If United aren't putting my ticket price up, why should I care?
It would be more annoying if the Glazers spent the money on a mall in Philly, than investing it in the team, and I don't understand where the spend-thrifts are coming from.
 
for those who want Kroos. What's the price they think real Madrid would realistically sell him for? Assuming he even asks to leave
 
Lads, stop saying we should buy kante instead. They are two completely different midfielders, it's not one or the other. We clearly need a creative forward driving force in midfield, which kante is not. However if we buy Kante as well as Pogba I won't complain... Although I rate our Morgan.
 
Yeah I've never got the "not my money" argument. So if we spend £100m on Ibra that's fine cos it's not our money? Would £400m be fine cos it's not our money?

Obviously, if the club want to do it it's their money and if they think it's the right thing to do then I'm all for it. He's a great player.

If I was in charge of the budget I wouldn't spend that on Pogba, but I'm not so it doesn't really matter.