"He’s a wasted talent " - Graeme Souness launches scathing attack on 'lazy' Paul Pogba amid Arsenal transfer speculation

Football pundit Graeme Souness has warned Premier League clubs against signing Paul Pogba amid reports of Arsenal showing interest. The Liverpool legend believes that the Frenchman is a lazy player and can be detrimental to the team's cause.

Speaking on the Three Up Front podcast, Souness claimed Pogba didn't work harder than his opponent on the pitch. He believes that the former Manchester United star is a talented player, but a 'wasted' one. He said:

"If I was a Premier League manager, there are no circumstances under which I would take a punt on bringing in Paul Pogba. He's only played 39 games since the 2021/22 season. He is extremely talented, but he's a wasted talent. The worst thing that happened to him was winning the World Cup because, from that point on, he just sat in his armchair.

"When Jose Mourinho was at Manchester United, he called Pogba a virus. He's a lazy player, but midfield is a position that you have to take personally. It's the only position on the pitch where you're directly up against someone who's trying to do the same job as you. I always wanted to have a better day than whoever I was up against, and the only thing I was taught to do was work harder than my opponent."

Paul Pogba is now a free agent after terminating his contract with Juventus. The Frenchman has been linked with Lionel Messi's Inter Miami and Cristiano Ronaldo's Al Nassr as well.

Arsenal challenged to sign Paul Pogba by former player

Emmanuel Petit has challenged Arsenal to sign Paul Pogba and help the midfielder get back to his best. He believes that the Frenchman is a good option for Mikel Arteta's side despite not playing for over a year.

He told Instant Casino:

"I did mention that Paul Pogba would be a good option for Arsenal, but it's a gamble. It's a coin toss. The last game he played was last September, 14 months ago. He cannot prepare himself with his teammates because he's not allowed to do so. He has to train by himself every single day with a physio. It's not the same. It's a gamble and on top of it he's 32 years-old but you can argue that mentally he will come back strongly."

Pogba's ban has been reduced to 18 months by CAS, and he can start training from January. However, he will have to wait until March to make his return to the pitch.