Manchester City: Strong Hints from Paul Pogba
Manchester City have been interested in Juventus midfielder Paul Pogba for a while, but now he’s dropping hints that the feelings are mutual.
They say a week is a long time in politics, but a day is essentially an eternity in speculating about what Manchester City will look like under Pep Guardiola at the end of the current season. He’s both signing every great player ever, even those not available, and meanwhile tearing up albatross contracts currently on the squad left and right. I’m only shocked my own name hasn’t been linked to a move, though not for lack of searching.
The latest name to pop up, or perhaps resurface is a more appropriate word, is one Paul Pogba. The 22 year old Frenchman and current Juventus midfielder is among the best in his position in the game. With Pep wanting to make a big splash right off the back, it’s little surprise Pogba would be among the names. Indeed, City were in on him last summer but balked at the horrific asking price. The mind boggles at what astronomical figure must have been requested had even City been scared off.
It’s all expected to be different this summer though. Pogba is expected to move on and a number of teams are already making early moves and showing considerable interest. Aside from Manchester City, Chelsea and Barcelona are heavily linked, partially because few others could stomach the obscene transfer fees which would undoubtedly break records (getting a tad boring, isn’t it?) and land north of £70million. Barcelona also tried to acquire Pogba last year, but Juventus can only hold their card so long before it loses its worth.
Despite the interest from other clubs, it seems Pogba is hinting at the Etihad being a favoured landing spot. Pogba, in perhaps an ill-advised moment of speaking the first thing that came to his mind, said the following that was reported by the Daily Express:
"“He (Guardiola) is a coach that I admire and someone you can learn a lot from.At the moment I am committed to Juventus but it’s clear the opportunity to Guardiola may develop in the future.”"
So uh, I guess, that’s that then? I mean, only one team will have Pep Guardiola around from 2016 on, so your options are a touch limited there Paul.
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Really though, it doesn’t surprise at all that Guardiola brings this element of star power with him. He’s considered among the best managers in the world, and breathes success into every club he goes to. He literally built Barcelona into the winning machine they are today and the Sky Blues making moves to acquire him is a statement that they want to see the same happen to City.
Pogba would be a welcomed addition for many reasons. He started his professional career as a red with United, which would give Citizens much to gloat about. Fancy another Carlos Tevez style “Welcome to Manchester” billboard? He also has one of football’s more unique hairstyles, a Mohawk, natch, which should provide legions of young and impressionable fans a ballpark other than Sergio Aguero’s to aim for at their next trip to the barber.
On the field, Pogba is a constant threat. So far this year, in 29 club appearances, he has netted 5 and assisted 8, along with some 33 shots on target. Over the course of a regular season, Pogba is currently good for around 8-10 goals, but note, that’s been increasing every single season. He’s only 22. Much more is yet to come from the Frenchman and City desperately want to be the team to get those years of production.
As things stand, the middle of the park is the middle of nowhere at Manchester City. With Jesus Navas, Kevin De Bruyne and Samir Nasri all out injured and David Silva knee deep in a career slump, City have struggled with keeping possession and creating opportunities for a hungry Aguero. Say what you like about Pogba, but he’s a fairly safe bet at making a huge difference in the middle of park. Alongside fellow youngsters De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling, City would instantly find themselves with one of the youngest and most talented midfields in the game.
Next: Manchester City - Sevilla in on Navas
Even so, over £70million sounds outlandish for one player, even with prices spiralling as they are. But if Guardiola is as determined as he is, he won’t find any restrictions on getting any and all the players he wants, least of all cash. Whether Pogba ends up being one of those choices remains to be seen, but with all the speculation starting to heat up about next season, it’s important to stay grounded and look to the tasks at hand. For Manchester City that starts on Sunday at Chelsea and neither Pep nor Pogba can help them there.