So it is official. After weeks of speculation Paul Pogba has returned to Manchester United as the most expensive footballer in the world. On the outset this does not seem to make much sense.
You know that rich kid who tells his dad to buy him the most expensive toy just because their neighbors are buying new toys ? That is Jose Mourinho and Manchester United for you !
Pogba is one of the best midfielders in the world who will be playing for a side that will be playing in the Europa League this year. This is just one of the reasons why this move does not make a lot of sense. Let us look at some other reasons why this move is doomed to fail.
5) Manchester United are not a top team anymore !
Man Utd are clearly not the team that Pogba left in 2013. Back then winning titles came easy to Utd. Sir Alex was still in charge and there was an air of superiority around the club.
But that has disappeared in the last few years. Three highly disappointing years have sucked the life and soul of Manchester United. Gone are the days of attacking football.
Sideways passing and no clarity of thought had become the norm for the Old Trafford faithful. Superstars like Angel DI Maria have come and gone. 200 million pounds have been spent without any real success to back it up.
And while there is a more renowned sense of optimism this year, the question still remains, why is Pogba coming back to this Manchester United?
4) Wrong time ?
What if Pogba had waited another year before he made the move ? Now that would make a whole lot of sense.
He could have waited and watched from Turin if Jose if actually going to turn around the fortunes of Man Utd.
The likes of Depay, Rashford and Martial would have another year to develop and become better players. We could see if Ibracadabra can take place in the Premier League.
Most of all, we could have waited to see if Man Utd were showing signs of returning back to their glory days.
And if we could waited, then Paul Pogba could surely have waited as well.
3) Big money signings may not really work out !
Ibrahimovic is a modern football great who will go down as one of the greatest to have played the game. But having signed a one year contract, one can not say for sure that the great Swede will be a runaway success at Old Trafford.
Henrik Mikhitariyan is one of best attacking midfielders in Europe. But that was the case with the last playmaker United signed from Borrussia Dortmund.
Eric Bailey…Who ?
Not too long ago, Falcao and Di Maria were signed for Man Utd. We all know what happened next. So let us not assume that Henrik, Ibra, Bailey and of course Paul Pogba will be a hit.
2) The Jose Factor
Jose Mourinho is one of the best managers in the world.
But he also comes with one of the biggest egos in football. Short term success is what he thrives on. When he returned to Chelsea he said that he wanted to stay at Stamford Bridge for a very long time.
That long stay lasted for about two and a half years. Now he says that he wants to stay at Man Utd for a long time. Is there any guarantee that he will ?
It will take him one year at least to get back in to the Champions League. Then there is challenge of winning it. Will he ? Maybe or Maybe not.
History has taught us that Jose will win something soon with Utd and then lose the dressing room and finally leave the club.
Why would Pogba choose to come to a club with such an unstable manager?
1) No Champions League !
Juventus have never had a better chance of winning the Champions League than they have in the upcoming season. They have built a super team with some special talents among their ranks.
Paul Pogba has always claimed that he wants to win the Champions League. So then why Utd? Juventus have a great chance of winning it this year.
Pogba has played a crucial role in helping Juventus return to a European powerhouse.
So why not wait for the project to bear fruition?
It will take at least two years for him to win the UCL with United which is far from a guarantee as it is.
So why would Paul Pogba want to play in the Europa League ?
