4 reasons why Juventus should not re-sign Paul Pogba

With Paul Pogba having set the transfer tabloids spinning when he stated that he is open to a move away from Manchester United in search of new challenge elsewhere, expectedly, many clubs entered the race to get his signature.

The Frenchman returned to Manchester United in 2016 in a highly celebrated world record move, but three years on, he has seen his marriage with the club go sour and wants out of Old Trafford.

One of the clubs interested in signing him is perennial Italian champions Juventus, with reports emanating that the Bianconerri have gotten in touch with both Pogba's agent and Manchester United over a potential transfer.

The World Cup winner spent four highly successful years in Turin before departing for United in 2016 and while the romantics would envisage a wonderful reunion where everything goes smoothly as in his first spell, the reality is that much like his second homecoming to Manchester United, Pogba's return to Juventus could be bad for all parties involved and it would be in the Italian giants' interests to avoid signing him.

In this piece, we shall be highlighting four reasons why Juventus should abstain from re-signing Paul Pogba

#4 They already have similar midfielders at the club

Ramsey would represent Juventus next season

Paul Pogba is widely regarded as one of the best box-to-box midfielders in the world, as the French international works at his optimum when given the license to make runs forward as a ball-carrying midfielder.

His strength and physicality makes this possible and while every club is in need of a midfielder with such attributes, Juventus already have one.

Aaron Ramsey completed a move to Italy on a Bosman transfer having failed to renegotiate contract talks with Arsenal and while the Welsh international might not be everybody's cup of tea, it cannot be denied that the 28-year-old is also an excellent ball carrying box-to-box midfielder in his own right (albeit on a level lower than Paul Pogba).

Also, Blaise Matuidi though lacking the cutting edge both Pogba and Ramsey offer contemplates for that with tenacity on the ball which few in world football can match, while also being an effective linkup between midfield and attack with his runs forward.

Between Aaron Ramsey and Blaise Matuidi, Juventus have midfielders who are somewhat similar to Paul Pogba in playing pattern and as such, it does not make much sense for Juventus to spend such amount to bring in another stereotyped player.

#3 They would be better suited spending the money on more critical signings

De Ligt is more important to Juventus than Paul Pogba

Paul Pogba was signed for the sum of £89m by Manchester United in the summer of 2016 and given the huge amount expended to get him and his increased marketability, it stands to reason that the Old Trafford outfit would not let their prized asset leave on the cheap.

The 26-year-old is currently one of the most valued players in the world and reports have emanated that United would only let him leave for in excess of €150m.

Given that the powerhouse midfielder would also cost in about €30m (before tax) in salaries, the expensive nature of his transfer really begins to unfold.

This is money that would serve Juventus' interests elsewhere, for as already stated, they really have no pressing need for his services. There are also a number of more necessary signings which the club needs to make in order to be more competitive on the continent.

For starters, their defense is aging badly and in need of augmenting and with Matthijs de Ligt available for £62m and less than half the salary payment of the Frenchman, it makes more sense to spend less money on a priority signing.

With reports emanating that the Ajax skipper has decided to sign for Juventus, spending such a huge amount on a somewhat unnecessary signing would not make much sense from a sporting perspective.

#2 There are high indications that he would not fit in with Sarri's system at Juventus

After just one season at Chelsea, Maurizio Sarri opted to leave West London and pitched his tent with Juventus as Massimiliano Allegri's replacement.

The 60-year-old has earned the reputation of being a manager who prioritizes aesthetic football and sticks rather meticulously to his methods, with his 'Sarriball' pattern of play winning plenty admirers and critics in almost equal dimension.

His style of play is heavily based on possession football, with emphasis placed on one-touch play and given Paul Pogba's disposition to hogging the ball and making bursting runs forward from midfield, it is hard to see him fitting in perfectly to Maurizio Sarri's tactical demands.

For all of their spending and quest for signing quality players, it is hard if not impossible to imagine Manchester City and Pep Guardiola making a bid for Paul Pogba due to his non-suitability to his tika taka brand of football and with Sarriball being a distant cousin to tiki-taka, it is hard to see Paul Pogba flourishing in Sarri's pattern either.

#1 It is difficult to see what he is bringing to the table at Juventus

Pogba is not bringing much to the table at Juventus

In football just like in life in general, every purchase is made to fulfill an underlying need or satisfy a want. When a transfer is made in football, it is mostly for one of two reasons: either to strengthen the first team or to act as an effective backup.

Paul Pogba is too high profile to be signed as a backup, but it is hard to see what he is bringing to the table as a starter at Juventus. The club's total dominance of the Italian game means that with or without Pogba, they would triumph domestically and it is a long sought after European crown which they seek.

Can Pogba be trusted as the man to take them all the way to European glory? On the evidence of his sojourn at Manchester United, that answer would have to be no, as he showed a penchant for going missing when it mattered most and his seeming nonchalance and indifference to football-related matters means he is always a ticking time bomb waiting to explode.

The Juventus midfield was criticized for not scoring enough goals last season and while Pogba would help a little in this regard, it is rather ludicrous to suggest that he would bring the solution to their goalscoring midfield woes.

At best he is a little less than average goalscorer and while he might be coming off the best goalscoring returns in a season of his career, 16 goals in all competitions is not really earth-shattering stuff.

In 95 Premier League matches for Manchester United in the last three seasons, Pogba scored just 24 goals and this figure becomes even less impressive when you consider the fact that seven of those were penalties.

During his first spell at Juventus, Pogba was supported by Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal in midfield, with the Italian providing the guile while the Chilean provided the grit, giving Pogba the license to roam forward on the left hand of a midfield three.

As stated earlier, Sarri's tactical demands mean that such a scenario is unlikely to play out and with his on-field importance being questioned, it is hard to see where else his value lies.

Paul Pogba is undoubtedly one of the most marketable players in the world today and would give any club a marketing boost, but €150m for a transfer plus one-fifth of that in salary outlays is a tad too much for a player who would only be bringing commercial value.

Moreover, Juventus already made their statement signing when they brought in arguably the most marketable player of all time in Cristiano Ronaldo last summer and at least the Portuguese has a track record of being a proven performer of the optimum level.

Pogba's signing at best would be a luxury one with minimum importance on the field and with funds needed for transfers elsewhere, it is imperative that Juventus steers clear of signing him.

Edited by Kaushik Das