By: Patrick Stoll
You’ve probably seen the news recently. There are more and more reports out there that FC Barcelona is trying to acquire Paul Pogba from Italian giant Juventus. The word from multiple sources is that Barco could sign Pogba, but due to a transfer embargo for the Catalan club, the official transfer would take place in the summer of 2016. He would remain with the Bianconeri for 2015, looking to win their fifth straight Scudetto and their third Champions League crown, then leave Turin at the end of the season.
Barcelona is also going to have to pony up to secure the services of the French international. The Champions League winners are trying to beat out Manchester City and Chelsea in the race for Pogba, and signs indicate that Barça is the most likely destination besides staying at Juventus. The figure that Barcelona has been rumored to offer is one of €80 million. Juventus, naturally, has said they are not interested in selling the 22-year-old, who is widely considered to be one of the best young players in the world, and have rejected the offer, according to numerous reports. One cannot deny that Pogba has a gem of a career ahead of him.
It is for this reason that I say that for the sake of Juventus, they must not sell Pogba, and must keep him in the white and black stripes for as long as they can.
There are handfuls of reasons for this. First of all, look at Pogba’s statistics. Although he has been injured, in his career at Juve he has compiled a total of 92 appearances with 24 goals and 14 assists. He moves the ball very well and is a great passer. He can dribble, pass, and create incredible goals. He is also, when you go off statistics, a player that is fun to watch and that can be the face of a club. He can be an icon. He already is. He has also been on the French National Team for as long as he has played professionally, and is now the star of their team. He is just 22 years old, and continues to get better and better, injuries not withstanding.
Now look at Juve. With the impending, not-yet-official-but-might-as-well-be departure of Andrea Pirlo, you may think that Juve has a gaping hole at midfield. However, when you check their roster, they still have the services of Arturo Vidal (as long as he stays), Roberto Pereyra, Claudio Marchisio, Kwadwo Asamoah, and newly acquired Sami Khedira. Since Juve runs a formation of 4-3-1-2, that leaves space for four midfielders on the pitch. A starting squad including Vidal, Khedira, Marchisio, and Pogba is a scarily strong midfield. While Juve will surely miss the work of Pirlo, they would still have a midfield to be jealous of, with four world-class players.
If Juve were to also lose Pogba, that would leave a hole in the midfield, to accompany the one left by Pirlo. I will go out on a limb and say that Khedira can take the place of Pirlo. He is not Pirlo by any means, but he is a good, quality player that can produce. But if Juve also loses Pogba, those are two world-class, valuable pieces that they are losing from their starting lineup. That would make a possible starting lineup of Vidal, Marchisio, Khedira, and Pereyra. Not to say that Pereyra is not good: there is a reason he is at Juventus and he is a quality player. But it is hard to deny that that lineup is a big step down. Losing Pirlo may be near inevitable, but losing Pogba may be avoidable.
Note: one may say the same about the loss of Tevez, but Juve has more than set themselves up for success in that position with Alvaro Morata, Paolo Dybala, and Simone Zaza. Pogba is not as replaceable, and his successor would not be as young or promising.
If Juventus hope to win the Champions League, they need Pogba. They can probably still win Serie A without him, but the Champions League would not be friendly to that loss. And although they would have him for one more year, that will be a year spent of him developing to go to Barcelona. That will give Barça, a team that beat Juventus in the Champions League Final, a world-class passer, shooter, and dribbler, at the young age of 23. This would give Barça one of the future top five players in the world to pair with one that they already have, Neymar, as well as the best player to ever play the game, Messi.
The sale of Pogba would set Barcelona up perfectly for more Champions League success, and would set Juventus back. If Barça were to also secure the services of Arda Turan, that makes their midfield young again, and plugs up the holes left by Xavi and Iniesta (when he eventually retires or leaves). I read one article that said it would evolve their midfield, and it would. That puts the Barcelona squad in a perfect position for more trebles. And if they don’t get it one year, they can just get it the next year.
As for Juve, sure, it would give them a lot of cash to work with, but Pogba is the future of Juventus. You have the future faces of the future at Juve right now with Dybala and Pogba, as well as Morata, Zaza, and possibly Berardi later. Don’t sell that. Do not sell Pogba. It would be a step back, even with the money. Having a legend on your team is priceless. He will be the leader of the team and a valuable player for many years. Juve is not exactly strapped for cash, and they are a great destination for players. They have a winning tradition and a great, class organization. One more thing they will have is the presence of a legend if they keep Pogba. If they do not, it’s not to say their organization is tanked, but they lose a very good player.
For the player that Pogba is going to be, and for what he will do for Juventus and their fans, I urge Juventus to not sell Paul Pogba. Would they recover if they sold him? Yes. It would be a lot of money. But you can’t sell a future legend. He’s already world class, and he’s just 22. Just wait to see what he will be in five years. Do not sell Pogba.
The post Juventus: Please Do Not Sell Paul Pogba appeared first on Italian Football Daily.
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