He's a great agent no doubt, but I wonder if his approach is sustainable. He probably won't care as he could retire a rich man at any time but I think what Raiola is doing will force football into reform. Clubs and footballing bodies will put the themselves first, then the players and then the agents.
Pogba issues statement
- Thread starter Eriku
- Start date
-
In the latest episode of the United Hour Podcast, Nik @Rood and Imran @Annihilate Now! start with the good news by celebrating Manchester United Women's emphatic FA Cup win over Spurs at Wembley and the future of manager Marc Skinner.
Then it's the bad news and the ever worsening form of our Men with losses to Arsenal and Palace.
Finally the main debate - ETH Out now or keep him until the end of the season - if not longer. Are you Team Nik or Team Imran?
What words? It's all blah blah apparently no words needed.
For me, our situation with Pogba has become much more complex now.
There is clearly an understanding with the club. Let's not forget Raiola's comments are actually a few weeks old, to a Juventus favorable media.
They are coming out with a delay, but with that timeline, Pogba already had missed 3 games, due to ankles or something.
So he "paid" for it.
Nevertheless, it came out for Leipzig, and it wasn't great.
Now Pogba issues a statement. That means nothing since he's just saying he will do his best until he's gone, and he calls "fake news" the Bild report, which was that Raiola would get fired if he cannot find a new club to Pogba.
Now if that part is fake news, the rest is not, technically. So he still wants to leave. But he seems to be training well, and he is a class above all of our midfielders because they benefit from him normally. Especially an in form Pogba. He would have higher numbers with us if the strikers could convert the chances he created. The same stands still today.
So what do we do as a club? We would ideally like to ignore all of that and dump him out of the first team, but we are in a position where realistically, we have now created a good squad that can close the gap with the top. We are in a run, and Dec/Jan will see us compete for the top, or not. We need those wins, as we have played almost every top side bar Liverpool. So winning the rest would give us an edge against the competition. And Pogba? He's still a player that can change a game. In this context, we need a Pogba ready to give his all.
Yesterday against City, he did play one touch. No waste of time, finding directly many players. Sometimes, he took some touches, around the 65/70 mn, and maybe it's physical, but his focus was lost after that. Still, an enormous player when he is on it, some of his touches were out of this world. So that's what we have to deal with and I can fully understand the dilemma for us if we do need to be close to the top until Jan kicks in, and we can then try to go on a run in the 2nd half of the season.
There is clearly an understanding with the club. Let's not forget Raiola's comments are actually a few weeks old, to a Juventus favorable media.
They are coming out with a delay, but with that timeline, Pogba already had missed 3 games, due to ankles or something.
So he "paid" for it.
Nevertheless, it came out for Leipzig, and it wasn't great.
Now Pogba issues a statement. That means nothing since he's just saying he will do his best until he's gone, and he calls "fake news" the Bild report, which was that Raiola would get fired if he cannot find a new club to Pogba.
Now if that part is fake news, the rest is not, technically. So he still wants to leave. But he seems to be training well, and he is a class above all of our midfielders because they benefit from him normally. Especially an in form Pogba. He would have higher numbers with us if the strikers could convert the chances he created. The same stands still today.
So what do we do as a club? We would ideally like to ignore all of that and dump him out of the first team, but we are in a position where realistically, we have now created a good squad that can close the gap with the top. We are in a run, and Dec/Jan will see us compete for the top, or not. We need those wins, as we have played almost every top side bar Liverpool. So winning the rest would give us an edge against the competition. And Pogba? He's still a player that can change a game. In this context, we need a Pogba ready to give his all.
Yesterday against City, he did play one touch. No waste of time, finding directly many players. Sometimes, he took some touches, around the 65/70 mn, and maybe it's physical, but his focus was lost after that. Still, an enormous player when he is on it, some of his touches were out of this world. So that's what we have to deal with and I can fully understand the dilemma for us if we do need to be close to the top until Jan kicks in, and we can then try to go on a run in the 2nd half of the season.
the issue with lack of effort yesterday in a stale game it was noticeable that Pogba looked better in a poor game overall. Simple put he stood out when the effort of the rest was poor. As for these numerous chances he produces overall for strikers I don't see that. The striker being poor conversion, not moving or pushing the line is another matter entirely
Agree with the whole post, my view on the situation is the same. If he isn't here for the long-term, we need to build the team without him, but right now, the club needs results. It's so difficult for the manager to go about it in a way that benefits the team above every individual.
Very true and agreed every bit to it
Im still baffled by this statement. It doesnt make any sense at all to me.. Who the hell is this aimed at exactly? 
"when you dont know whats going on inside the club, dont talk" #SpeakTheTruthOrRemainSilent #talktothehand
So his agent has come out running his mouth once again, and instead of addressing it instantly, he waits five days until after a dire derby to say this? Is this last bit aimed at the media / pundits / fans?? Because each have had good reason to analyse and talk about this thanks to Riaola's big mouth (and considering the timing). And the fans have had more than enough reason to pissed off at this as we are sick & tired of this circus. Or we can all hope it may have been aimed at Riaola, but we know this is unbelievably unlikely.
Its like he's not bothered that his agent said and caused all this, but more annoyed people dont like it and feel the need to comment on it. Or am I getting the wrong end of the stick here?
Whats even more confusing is that United's official account / lingard / Bruno have all commented positive messages underneath, which means they agree with whatever he is getting at . Im assuming the club have some kind of agreement with him to let him leave asap. But shows how small time we have become if they are actively and publicly supporting him making comments like this. One can only hope the reason is these were aimed at Riaola and thats why the club are supportive. But we know the chances of that, which makes it very perplexing.
And as for the "bla bla bla doesnt matter", yes it does matter. if he's referring to all the talk, yes it does. because it has been caused entirely by Riaola and himself.
But again sh*t like this, the club simply can do without. We are all like broken records stating this. We are club all over the place trying to find footing to get a good run together and have to deal with unnecessary nonsense like this. The noise and trouble is all coming from one place, and its not us fans or the media. I cant wait until mufc dont have to worry about dealing with this circus again.
**EDIT** ah just seeing alledgedly its to do with a report that he threatened to fire Riaola if he didnt find him a new club and that its lies.. Still doesnt explain why the club would be supportive of him saying this
"when you dont know whats going on inside the club, dont talk" #SpeakTheTruthOrRemainSilent #talktothehand
So his agent has come out running his mouth once again, and instead of addressing it instantly, he waits five days until after a dire derby to say this? Is this last bit aimed at the media / pundits / fans?? Because each have had good reason to analyse and talk about this thanks to Riaola's big mouth (and considering the timing). And the fans have had more than enough reason to pissed off at this as we are sick & tired of this circus. Or we can all hope it may have been aimed at Riaola, but we know this is unbelievably unlikely.
Its like he's not bothered that his agent said and caused all this, but more annoyed people dont like it and feel the need to comment on it. Or am I getting the wrong end of the stick here?
Whats even more confusing is that United's official account / lingard / Bruno have all commented positive messages underneath, which means they agree with whatever he is getting at
. Im assuming the club have some kind of agreement with him to let him leave asap. But shows how small time we have become if they are actively and publicly supporting him making comments like this. One can only hope the reason is these were aimed at Riaola and thats why the club are supportive. But we know the chances of that, which makes it very perplexing.And as for the "bla bla bla doesnt matter", yes it does matter. if he's referring to all the talk, yes it does. because it has been caused entirely by Riaola and himself.
But again sh*t like this, the club simply can do without. We are all like broken records stating this. We are club all over the place trying to find footing to get a good run together and have to deal with unnecessary nonsense like this. The noise and trouble is all coming from one place, and its not us fans or the media. I cant wait until mufc dont have to worry about dealing with this circus again.
**EDIT** ah just seeing alledgedly its to do with a report that he threatened to fire Riaola if he didnt find him a new club and that its lies.. Still doesnt explain why the club would be supportive of him saying this
Why is it difficult? He's been rightly dropped this season anyway as we've better options. If we have injuries or a player in bad form he'll play but otherwise feck him off to the Europa games.
Mourinho was right. This guy is a cancer
Raiola : starts a war with the club so Pogba could get his move
2 days later
Pogba : forgief english, i am france. please do not write you do not understand #talktothehand please?
dumb&dumber
2 days later
Pogba : forgief english, i am france. please do not write you do not understand #talktothehand please?
dumb&dumber
Today's Daily Telegraph Word Search.
Arrange these letters K O N B.
Arrange these letters K O N B.
Talented player - yes. Do we need him anymore - no. He needs moving on and we need to forget about him.
There are other players who will meet our needs better than him. feck him.
There are other players who will meet our needs better than him. feck him.
His statements are as incoherent as his form.
Sad thing is there are so many "United fans" that fall for this again and are defending/supporting him, while naive enough to think all this meant he's staying.
It's amazing really.
It's amazing really.
The only way I'll believe him is if he fires Raiola.
Oh who am I kidding. Even then I wouldn't believe him. That would just mean that he's realized his limitations and is out to save face before turning irrelevant.
Oh who am I kidding. Even then I wouldn't believe him. That would just mean that he's realized his limitations and is out to save face before turning irrelevant.
I really fail to see the problem with Pogba wanting to leave.
We failed to build a team to compete at the highest level as our club is very dysfunctional.
He still has better options and wether you believe that is right or wrong it is simply a fact.
It just hasn't worked out. End of the day we are the big losers in this though as we waited for him to have a year left on his contract so we won't get a good price for him.
So we know we won't be getting a good replacement but that isnt Pogbas fault that is on Ed and the Glazers.
We failed to build a team to compete at the highest level as our club is very dysfunctional.
He still has better options and wether you believe that is right or wrong it is simply a fact.
It just hasn't worked out. End of the day we are the big losers in this though as we waited for him to have a year left on his contract so we won't get a good price for him.
So we know we won't be getting a good replacement but that isnt Pogbas fault that is on Ed and the Glazers.
Who cares about loyalty and respecting the club. Just go out and perform for us. He hasn't done that enough
You joined in 2004 and only posted 242 times? what sorcery is this.
There are more tweets about Pogba and his bag of shit disrespecting United than your posts.
I type really slowly.
With Pogba, everything is always Paulemic.
So relieved that’s settled. Now I can go back to ignoring him and focusing all my attention back on the players who matter to the club.
All top tier agents take care of their players.
That the thing though. Paul Pogba has a professional contract with Manchester United. The club is under no obligation to sell the player. This is the nature of contracts.
All Raiola has accomplished is: Further souring Pogba's relationship with the clubs fans.
Paul has set himself in this position: His performance means that the club can't offer him a new improved contract, even if he wanted to stay. So that is not coming to the table. The club can't sell Pogba for askingprice due to the severe financial restriction of a Covid market, and the club can't sell Pogba in the January transfer window becuase we will still be in a title race by then.
What the club should have done, is sell Poba last summer and be rid of him.
Raiola is a proper agent, no doubt about that. He's also got a massive conflict of interest on behalf of his players due to the agent fees. Who knows what he advises his players to do, and is it even in their best interest? Does Raiola actively contact the players and make suggestions for moves?
I am happy that FIFA* are clamping down on agent fees, because this has because a very real problem in football transfers.
*I originally wrote UEFA, that was incorrect
Last edited:
Watch Pogba hit the form now and play well over Christmas. We've seen this before. He needs to play himself to shop window. The statement reeks that they have reached an agreement that they will let Pogba go if they can get a decent fee for him, but that fee requires good performance from Pogba as well.
True, but he has also failed to reach his potential, and that's on him. The excuse that he hasn't been surrounded by quality doesn't hold up, given that Bruno has done more in 10 months than Pogba has in 4 years.
Pogba gets some underserved stick off plenty, if he says nothing he gets it, if he says something he still gets it. He himself knows he has not done enough in certain games. Hes been like the side inconsistent. His best years are ahead of him and perhaps his agent want one last big payday? When hes on it hes on it. He probably will go in summer, get some cash for striker with his money. Cause we havent got any otherwise. Laughing
I'm not making excuses for him. Personally I was happy with how he played two seasons ago but yeah he didn't live up to the price all things considered.
That's down to himself and the club.
But I really don't see the issue with him wanting to leave. So many of our fans hate the man. Is it not best for all involved he goes? Why are people acting like it's a major slight on us?
Big deal being made out of nothing imo.
The only important thing is we replace him with someone of similar quality. Could really do with looking for a player with his passing range as no one else in our team really possess that.
The problem is the club will likely pocket the money and use Donny as his replacement but they aren't similar players so that won't work.
The real statement (leaked from my back passage, which is ITK):
“I’m shocked and saddened that I’ve received such backlash after my agent, following my approval, stated on the eve of our biggest match of the season that I wish to leave Manchester United.
It soon dawned on me that to get my dream move to Madrid/Barcelona/Juventus or insert team here, I should probably put in a few decent performances every now and then.
Ergo, I turned over a new leaf and decided to show absolute commitment for TWO matches straight. Impressive. I promise to continue showing this until at least the end of December, at which point commitment will no doubt become a bit boring.
However, I guarantee that I have AT LEAST two good matches left in the tank until the end of the season, which I shall use at my discretion.
This will be shrewdly hidden amongst the inevitable disappointment of my performances in the other 90% of matches, but you can bet your sweet bippy that these two gems will be enough to have many refer to me as “world-class” once again. You have my word on that.”
“I’m shocked and saddened that I’ve received such backlash after my agent, following my approval, stated on the eve of our biggest match of the season that I wish to leave Manchester United.
It soon dawned on me that to get my dream move to Madrid/Barcelona/Juventus or insert team here, I should probably put in a few decent performances every now and then.
Ergo, I turned over a new leaf and decided to show absolute commitment for TWO matches straight. Impressive. I promise to continue showing this until at least the end of December, at which point commitment will no doubt become a bit boring.
However, I guarantee that I have AT LEAST two good matches left in the tank until the end of the season, which I shall use at my discretion.
This will be shrewdly hidden amongst the inevitable disappointment of my performances in the other 90% of matches, but you can bet your sweet bippy that these two gems will be enough to have many refer to me as “world-class” once again. You have my word on that.”
Thanks. Was on the train home from work and was rather bored
Class
Agree with the podcast. At somepoint Pogba and his feckwit agent need to take some responsibility for his performanes at the club. Its easy to pass it off as United's fault, but he has wholly failed to deliver for the vast majority of the time he has been here. Meanwhile Bruno walks in and makes he and his agent look like mugs.
Yeah no issue with his wanting to leave; major issue with the timing of Raiola's comments, which I believe Pogba was complicit in releasing. I want us to sell him ASAP and put an end to this underwhelming chapter.
The money bubble will burst and the likes of Raiola will become redundant
BONK!
Pogba is an employee of the club, and part of his wages comes from revenue brought in at the ticket office by supporters who pay to watch the team, and therefore him. We have far more right to talk than a mercenary like Paul Pogba.
feck him off asap, despite his talent, what he contributes on the field is nowhere near worth either his salary or the drama his presence generates.
On a wider point it makes me question the leadership in our dressing room, does anyone think this sort of shit about a player would've been tolerated by the likes of Robson, Cantona, Keane, Neville?
On a wider point it makes me question the leadership in our dressing room, does anyone think this sort of shit about a player would've been tolerated by the likes of Robson, Cantona, Keane, Neville?
Certainly not, Im sure Keane would have had a "quiet word" with him and reminded him of what was required of him. Pogba is toxic and should be shipped out asap.
Darn. I thought it was N.B. - O.K.
He's only giving his "1000 per cent" because the transfer window opens in a few weeks. All of a sudden his vision opens up, he stays up on his feet and makes incredible direct passes. Till come the end of the January transfer window, if he is not sold by then, he will be injured again by the beginning of February. Your tricks are old Pogba, you can't fool us that many times!
We are so slow to react to stuff. He’s fully wanted to leave and been a disruption since 2018 but there were murmurs of a renewal after Bruno came in. Fair enough if the club don’t feel like making him the highest paid player in England when he isn’t committed.. He will surely be back to looking great in a more dominant team. I think this club has had a major problem capitalising on the standout form and talent of the likes of DDG Pogba and now Bruno and the players just end up getting frustrated by the lack of progress. Hopefully we can build better around Bruno.