Paul Pogba | Undergoing Medical | Helping out the Laundry Ladies

[Fortitude]

Im really not all that keen on him to be honest. Obviously a very good player with huge potential, but as a midfielder he is very oberrated. Isn't close to the likes of Modric and that's more along the type we need. Where he goes, he will need to be the more advanced of a midfield 3, but he isn't agile or creative enough to be a proper #10. Doesn't look like he will develop into a controlling type of midfielder to dictates the tempo of games either.

Saying that, of course he is a very good player and has a ridiculous shot on him, and that's his stand out quality. Is that worth the prices being mentioned though? Not a chance IMO (not that I would complain if we got him in the end). As a midfielder, Kante is better for me and has a much bigger impact on games, though not being as talented. Then there are other attacking mids who have a lot more talent on the ball to be more creative, without the shooting ability Pogba has. Payet for example.

Whoever said Lampard is the perfect example. Probably has it in him to get 20 goals per season from midfield, but more in that style compared to a playmaker like scholes or a more energetic box to box like Gerrard.

What Lampard did was a honed skill that required very specific game intelligence, and, more importantly, inredible discipline. Lampard's drill runs are amongst the most dogmatic seen in that position - the studiousness he displayed to do the same things over and over, game after game was tremendous. Pogba is doing well to get even a quarter of that discipline in him by the time he's fully matured. He's a proper free spirit, which translates to in-disciplined and immature to some who like their midfielders to be more pragmatic and methodical.

The next manager that gets a hold of him is going to have trust him and give him free rein to roam within the constraints of #10/#8. In truth, I'd expect a player more similar to him in Zidane to have a natural understanding and affinity on how to best use him rather than a Mourinho or Guardiola, who, I would suppose, have a more rigid set of ideas for their attacking midfielders.

 

[Silverman]

Didn't Raiola say they were speaking to two other teams along with Real. Most likely United are one of the two.

 

[Liver_bird]

I think he's joking to make a point - like in the UK we might say 'Accrington Stanley" - ie he talks to all sorts of teams.

Cheeky git

 

[RedStarUnited]

A midfield of Pogba/Modric/Kroos looks good on paper but I doubt it will be great. Not a single one of them is sound defensively.

 

[carvajal]

@totaalvoetbal yesterday you asked my opinion about Pogba . I like him, but I do not like the idea of selling him Kroos to sign him . Today I read that Madrid / Zidane has put him on the list of non-transferable , though I don´t know to what extent is reliable since I think that comes from fichajes.net . Modric - Casemiro - Pogba sounds good but not necessarily better than Modric - Casemiro - Kroos . My idea , perhaps surreal is Modric-Pogba-Kroos.

 

[Lawman]

Di Maria says hello.

Rvp

 

[KingMinger22]

With huge (as someone said before 'tier 1') talents like this, who are already well known, once Barca, Bayern, Real become involved, we're out of the equation. It's not ideal, but it's best to move on and look for a good alternative. If scouted well, an alternative could turn out to be just as good.

The reason it feels like that is because in the Fergie years we were cheap when it came to top tier talent.

We always fell short on fees and wages when we chased a tier 1 player.

Under Woody, this will not be the case.

I think in the coming years, we will compete with anyone for the best players. I think it will greatly help that we are in the PL too, which I see as becoming more and more attractive.

 

[Sparky Rhiwabon]

Cheeky git

 

[Someone]

We shouldn't pay that sort of money for anyone, specially pogba. Real would be mad to pay anything over 80m for him which is too much already. There're consistent established world class players out there and pogba isn't yet one of them.

 

[Ecstatic]

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[sincher]

We shouldn't pay that sort of money for anyone, specially pogba. Real would be mad to pay anything over 80m for him which is too much already. There're consistent established world class players out there and pogba isn't yet one of them.

Yet is the crucial word here.

Real will always be interested in the world's best players under 23 and these are amongst the most expensive. Who is better at that age? Who looks more likely to become top class? Tricky. There very likely is someone but hard to identify. Renato Sanches does look like a decent bet. Gomes perhaps.

 

[Noc-Z]

Yet is the crucial word here.

Real will always be interested in the world's best players under 23 and these are amongst the most expensive. Who is better at that age? Who looks more likely to become top class? Tricky. There very likely is someone but hard to identify. Renato Sanches does look like a decent bet. Gomes perhaps.

Martial?

 

[sincher]

Martial?

Sure, was thinking mostly of midfielders though.

 

[Stacks]

The reason it feels like that is because in the Fergie years we were cheap when it came to top tier talent.

We always fell short on fees and wages when we chased a tier 1 player.

Under Woody, this will not be the case.

I think in the coming years, we will compete with anyone for the best players. I think it will greatly help that we are in the PL too, which I see as becoming more and more attractive.

Since Woody has been Chief Executive we haven't signed any tier 1 targets that any of the top teams were chasing so we have seen little evidence of this in the last 3 years. We, like PSG have money but our footballing clout has diminished. Tier 1 talents use us to get a higher wages from other clubs. Bale, Kroos, Neymar, Thiago, Hummels, Lewandowski, chose these clubs with no hesitation and we were interested in some of not all of those players. We can get Memphis though

 

[sincher]

Players at the top clubs are extremely hard to shift at all unless they really agitate for a move for some reason, which is increasingly rare.

 

[Stacks]

Players at the top clubs are extremely hard to shift at all unless they really agitate for a move for some reason, which is increasingly rare.

these players weren't all at top tier clubs.

 

[Glanville95]

Yes, we have five shit-to-average players for 5 positions.

Gutted knowing Real will get Pogba.

I wonder if we will ever manage to sign a tier 1 star player.

Barca and Real have several each. We haven't had one for 7 years.

Jesus, why are you so incredibly fixated on us signing 'tier one' players as you put it? That formula does not guarantee success and is not always the most prudent way of going about your transfer business.

Yes Madrid's midfield options are sensational, but if we can sign a player with huge potential like Gomes who can develop into a top level player than why should we be so opposed to doing that instead?

Five 'shit-to-average players is really not taking everything into context either. Schneiderlin was a much better player at Saints who we were all raving about before he came here. Why can't he be the same player under Mourinho? Not sure how I feel about Carrick renewing, but clearly Jose feels he has something to offer still. Schweinsteiger and Herrera are good in a squad capacity and TFM is very exciting.

Oh and by the way, we've signed Angel di Maria, Robin van Persie and soon-to-be Zlatan Ibrahimovich all within the last seven seasons, which kinda blows that opinion out of the water.

 

[Stacks]

Jesus, why are you so incredibly fixated on us signing 'tier one' players as you put it? That formula does not guarantee success and is not always the most prudent way of going about your transfer business.

Yes Madrid's midfield options are sensational, but if we can sign a player with huge potential like Gomes who can develop into a top level player than why should we be so opposed to doing that instead?

Five 'shit-to-average players is really not taking everything into context either. Schneiderlin was a much better player at Saints who we were all raving about before he came here. Why can't he be the same player under Mourinho? Not sure how I feel about Carrick renewing, but clearly Jose feels he has something to offer still. Schweinsteiger and Herrera are good in a squad capacity and TFM is very exciting.

Oh and by the way, we've signed Angel di Maria, Robin van Persie and soon-to-be Zlatan Ibrahimovich all within the last seven seasons, which kinda blows that opinion out of the water.

No Modrics, Kroos's, Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitic level talents there what so ever. so in the grand scheme of CM, they are average. Zlatan is a 35 year old striker. Van Persie I agree was a steal and won us the prem like the legend he is.

 

[Glanville95]

No Modrics, Kroos's, Busquets, Iniesta, Rakitic level talents there what so ever. so in the grand scheme of CM, they are average. Zlatan is a 35 year old striker. Van Persie I agree was a steal and won us the prem like the legend he is.

How is his birth certificate relevant? You score 51 goals the previous season, cementing the common perception that you are one of the greatest strikers in the world, in the process, is all that surely matters.

Zlatan is clearly a marquee signing, one who I would regard as a tier one player regardless of his age.

 

[Stacks]

How is his birth certificate relevant? You score 51 goals the previous season, cementing the common perception that you are one of the greatest strikers in the world, in the process, is all that surely matters.

Zlatan is clearly a marquee signing, one who I would regard as a tier one player regardless of his age.

He is a free signing in which we have had little or no competition due to his age. Few other big clubs were after him which makes you wonder. We are talking about in prime tier 1 talents here. Zlatan may be in for a big shock in the premier league as it will be a lot harder than ligue 1 for a 35 year old.

 

[Glanville95]

He is a free signing in which we have had little or no competition due to his age. Few other big clubs were after him which makes you wonder. We are talking about in prime tier 1 talents here. Zlatan may be in for a big shock in the premier league as it will be a lot harder than ligue 1 for a 35 year old.

Fair enough on it being a free signing. I still think it's a huge signing, but semantics.

Anyway, my main gripe with the previous posters post was how signing the established elite is the one, solitary sure-fire way to success. That's not true at all. Signing a player like Kante might be far more suitable to the team than signing Pogba and no one would suggest Kante is tier one (yet) like Pogba is.

Shaw, Martial and de Gea weren't the 'established elite' when we signed them, but now they comprise of our three best players arguably. One is now the best goalkeeper in the world and the other two our two of the most exciting young players in their respective positions in the world.

If we can sign a Pogba, a Griezmann, etc, sure. I'm all for it. But if we actually make appropriate, intelligent signings for players that we definitely need in terms of their style of play then that is wiser.

 

[togg]

He is a free signing in which we have had little or no competition due to his age. Few other big clubs were after him which makes you wonder. We are talking about in prime tier 1 talents here. Zlatan may be in for a big shock in the premier league as it will be a lot harder than ligue 1 for a 35 year old.

I think Zlatan has the arrogance, confidence and self belief in his ability to succeed anywhere to be honest. He will definitely find it harder because it is, day in day out. However, he's aggressive and strong...that suits the PL.

 

[Stacks]

I think Zlatan has the arrogance, confidence and self belief in his ability to succeed anywhere to be honest. He will definitely find it harder because it is, day in day out. However, he's aggressive and strong...that suits the PL.

I sincerely hope he does. I like his arrogance when addressing the media. it will be hilarious

 

[Stacks]

Fair enough on it being a free signing. I still think it's a huge signing, but semantics.

Anyway, my main gripe with the previous posters post was how signing the established elite is the one, solitary sure-fire way to success. That's not true at all. Signing a player like Kante might be far more suitable to the team than signing Pogba and no one would suggest Kante is tier one (yet) like Pogba is.

Shaw, Martial and de Gea weren't the 'established elite' when we signed them, but now they comprise of our three best players arguably. One is now the best goalkeeper in the world and the other two our two of the most exciting young players in their respective positions in the world.

If we can sign a Pogba, a Griezmann, etc, sure. I'm all for it. But if we actually make appropriate, intelligent signings for players that we definitely need in terms of their style of play then that is wiser.

Unfortunately the last 3 Champions league winners and teams toted as the "big 3" in europe, regularly buy tier 1 players when available or at least bid for them (in Bayerns case). Sometimes you have to wonder....

EDIT: what I don't want is us to buy a Martial, develop him into a tier 1 talent and then he fecks off to Real Madrid like Ronaldo did and De Gea wanted also.

 

[cyberman]

Barca and Madrid dont sign big players from big clubs. They sign players ready to make the step up.
Go look at the list of clubs they've bought their players from over the last few seasons.
All this tier talk is nonsense.

 

[cully84]

He is a free signing in which we have had little or no competition due to his age. Few other big clubs were after him which makes you wonder. We are talking about in prime tier 1 talents here. Zlatan may be in for a big shock in the premier league as it will be a lot harder than ligue 1 for a 35 year old.

I know this is the Pogba thread but with regards to Zlatan,he's 35 for God's sake not 60. In great shape and built like a brick Shitehouse. It's time to stop thinking that once you get into your 30's you're over the hill.

 

[Glanville95]

I know this is the Pogba thread but with regards to Zlatan,he's 35 for God's sake not 60. In great shape and built like a brick Shitehouse. It's time to stop thinking that once you get into your 30's you're over the hill.

Agreed.

I really don't understand this notion on the Caf. It's as if with so many posters, that once the clock strikes midnight and a player turns 30 he's infinitely inferior to when he was 29. Age is just a number and a lot more variables need to be taken into context to ascertain whether a certain player is worth pursuing.

Zlatan and Ronaldo are both 30+, but very few players managed to score as many goals as them last season. Both are the established elite and absolute world-class players. Their form still dictates that even if you could suggest they're on the wane.

 

[Fortitude]

Barca and Madrid dont sign big players from big clubs. They sign players ready to make the step up.
Go look at the list of clubs they've bought their players from over the last few seasons.
All this tier talk is nonsense.

They buy players from whomever has what they want - i think only direct dealing with one another is exempt where they're concerned. Madrid , and, to a lesser extent, Barca, are a world unto themselves and when they come calling players drop trou and a run flailing into their arms in a manner they won't for anybody else.

 

[Golden Nugget]

Agreed.

I really don't understand this notion on the Caf. It's as if with so many posters, that once the clock strikes midnight and a player turns 30 he's infinitely inferior to when he was 29. Age is just a number and a lot more variables need to be taken into context to ascertain whether a certain player is worth pursuing.

Zlatan and Ronaldo are both 30+, but very few players managed to score as many goals as them last season. Both are the established elite and absolute world-class players. Their form still dictates that even if you could suggest they're on the wane.

What do you expect. The amount of times that I've read thag players that are 22 are no longer considered youngsters here and are too old to continue develop. I blame video games.

 

[ravi2]

Barca and Madrid dont sign big players from big clubs. They sign players ready to make the step up.
Go look at the list of clubs they've bought their players from over the last few seasons.
All this tier talk is nonsense.

I disagree, Kaka, Ronaldo, Bale, Zidane and fat Ronaldo were all big players when they went to Madrid. Madrid and Barca sign pretty much who they want.

 

[red thru&thru]

Tier one under Woodward...

Di Maria.
Falcao.

 

[cyberman]

I disagree, Kaka, Ronaldo, Bale, Zidane and fat Ronaldo were all big players when they went to Madrid. Madrid and Barca sign pretty much who they want.

Kaka was past it tbh, nobody was prepared to pay what Madrid did and rightly so.
Zidane and fat Ronaldo were eons ago. The fact you go back that far kind of proves my point.
If United signed Bale he wouldn't be considered top tier. He only became top tier at Madrid. If he were at United people would cry we can only sign British players and not Pogba etc.
Mkhitaryan last year was as good as Bale was at Spurs yet Mkhitaryan would not be considered top tier. Its ridiculous.
He had a better season than KDB had yet when City signed KDB it was a sign of this enormous pull etc.
We are linked with a player who is just as good, who dreams of playing here yet we still cry about our pull.

 

[cyberman]

They buy players from whomever has what they want - i think only direct dealing with one another is exempt where they're concerned. Madrid , and, to a lesser extent, Barca, are a world unto themselves and when they come calling players drop trou and a run flailing into their arms in a manner they won't for anybody else.

De Gea, Lewandowski, Alaba are three players that they couldn't get this year. Neymar as well if you believe the press. I still don't think Pogba will move to Madrid since the excuses about fees etc are starting to leak out. Pretty soon you will read stories about Zidane pulling the plug because he wants to keep Kross and Pogba's transfer fee is too high.
We beat Barca for Bailly!
The myth about Madrid always getting their man is hilariously outdated. They pay the Woodward fees that United are criticised for.
They could play a front 5 of Ronaldo / Benzema / Bale / James and Pogba next year and wouldn't get much change out of 400m euros.

 

[Stacks]

Kaka was past it tbh, nobody was prepared to pay what Madrid did and rightly so.
Zidane and fat Ronaldo were eons ago. The fact you go back that far kind of proves my point.
If United signed Bale he wouldn't be considered top tier. He only became top tier at Madrid. If he were at United people would cry we can only sign British players and not Pogba etc.
Mkhitaryan last year was as good as Bale was at Spurs yet Mkhitaryan would not be considered top tier. Its ridiculous.
He had a better season than KDB had yet when City signed KDB it was a sign of this enormous pull etc.
We are linked with a player who is just as good, who dreams of playing here yet we still cry about our pull.

Bale was best player in the Premier league and clearly tier 1 like Suarez. Tier 1 isn't "players who play for top teams," its the very best players in their position. When Bale played that seasons, there weren't many wingers who could do what he could and he proved it at Madrid. To say he only became tier 1 at Madrid makes me think you never watched him. And Mickey Tarian was not as good as Bale you must be loco? Bale was literally walking through teams with the ball at his feet and scored between 5-8 Goal of season contenders. Mickey Tarian could never do what Bale did. You must've forgot and are judging by stats alone. Bale could win the premier league for most teams in our division. I doubt Mickey Tarian could do so.

Toni Kroos was part of Bayern treble winning midfield, yet opted to go to Real Madrid from bloody Bayern. Benzema chose Real over us, De Gea wanted to go to Real and even agreed terms, Modric, Ozil, Pirlo wanted to go to Madrid after Milan won the champions league (read his autobiography). The waters we swim in are far less impressive generally speaking. Hazard has spoken of his desire to play for Madrid many times.

KDB wasn't a sign of enormous pull, it was £50 million cash and quadrupling wages, that's all

 

[Fortitude]

De Gea, Lewandowski, Alaba are three players that they couldn't get this year. Neymar as well if you believe the press. I still don't think Pogba will move to Madrid since the excuses about fees etc are starting to leak out. Pretty soon you will read stories about Zidane pulling the plug because he wants to keep Kross and Pogba's transfer fee is too high.
We beat Barca for Bailly!
The myth about Madrid always getting their man is hilariously outdated. They pay the Woodward fees that United are criticised for.
They could play a front 5 of Ronaldo / Benzema / Bale / James and Pogba next year and wouldn't get much change out of 400m euros.

Madrid were indifferent towards De Gea - he was well and ready to go there. The fax machine malarky was pretty much the perfect summary of how Madrid went about acquiring his signature. There's no real talk of Lewandowski nor Alaba - when Peréz starts cooing about players and making on-off overtures, which he flits from denying to entertaining as well as their mouthpiece papers start their unsettling tactics, Madrid are interested.

I'm not sure why you think it's a myth? Who have they truly gone after and not gotten in the last few years?

What they spend isn't really relevant, but even on that front, apart from marquee players, they pay way under the odds others not named Barcelona or Bayern would. And they are experts at offloading what they don't want for fees 'failed goods' should not go for. Just watch how much they sell James for if Pogba comes in, for example.

 

[spiriticon]

We have had Tier 1 star players in the past 7 years. Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao and Schweinsteiger could all be considered top draw. 2 out of 3 have failed miserably, and the last one standing still has a lot to prove.

The Galacticos approach to signing players doesn't always work out.

 

[Stacks]

De Gea, Lewandowski, Alaba are three players that they couldn't get this year. Neymar as well if you believe the press. I still don't think Pogba will move to Madrid since the excuses about fees etc are starting to leak out. Pretty soon you will read stories about Zidane pulling the plug because he wants to keep Kross and Pogba's transfer fee is too high.
We beat Barca for Bailly!
The myth about Madrid always getting their man is hilariously outdated. They pay the Woodward fees that United are criticised for.
They could play a front 5 of Ronaldo / Benzema / Bale / James and Pogba next year and wouldn't get much change out of 400m euros.

The point is Tier 1 talents consistently agitate for a move to Real and Barca, Ribery was another one. The clubs may not sale but the players certainly flirt with Madrid. Think of a Billionaire walking into an FHM shoot full of page 3 models.

 

[Stacks]

We have had Tier 1 star players in the past 7 years. Angel Di Maria, Radamel Falcao and Schweinsteiger could all be considered top draw. 2 out of 3 have failed miserably, and the last one standing still has a lot to prove.

The Galacticos approach to signing players doesn't always work out.

Falcao and Bastien were injury prone and past their best. They hadn't enjoyed a Tier 1 season for a minute. They were declining players simple as and you are going on past rep

 

[spiriticon]

Falcao and Bastien were injury prone and past their best. They hadn't enjoyed a Tier 1 season for a minute. They were declining players simple as and you are going on past rep

Falcao certainly wasn't past his best at the time we signed him. Sure, he had just come back from a major injury and we all knew he needed a bit more time to acheive full fitness but his star was still very high in 2014.

 

[Cassidy]

Falcao certainly wasn't past his best at the time we signed him. Sure, he had just come back from a major injury and we all knew he needed a bit more time to acheive full fitness but his star was still very high in 2014.

We signed him because Real rejected the chance to. He was all set to go to Real and they pulled the plug, Mendes came running to United