Set of players we can buy for €120m - would you still want Pogba?

Ødegaard

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I agree with the ones saying we should get 1 absolute worldclass Player rather than 2 or 3 "very good" ones.

Although if there was a Chance of us getting e.g. Koke and Griezmann instead I would think about it. However, I guess 120 Mio EUR might not be enough.
Most would be very happy with the idea of Koke and Griezmann, but in all likelyness Griezmann alone would cost as much as Pogba.
We need a proper world class central midfielder more than we need a second-striker, so even if it was Griezman or Pogba, I'd go for Pogba right now.
 

2 man midfield

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@Devilishly Red ran out of mains posts, so continued this via pm with a view to posting here.

I never said we should get them both this summer, what is naive is assuming that is what I meant, I said I would prefer those 2 for a combined fee, over JUST Pogba, Or are you also claiming that I am naive in my valuation?

Yet RC89 is claiming he also feels that Griezmann will be sold in the region of $60m, yet values Verratti at more! How many poster hear think that Verratti is valued more than Greizmann?

It seems that he also values or believes that Griezmann will be sold in the same price rang as me.

Yet you had no rejection to his valuation of Griezmann at $60m ish.

2 Man Midfield - Who do you value more? Verratti or Griezmann? Actually lets ask the majority here. Who do you value more?

My valuation of the players is - What I actually believe they will be sold for, either now or in the future. That is what I base my opinion on.

So yes I feel that for the combined fee of Pogba (and if they were available/to be sold) would be the better deal and also would roughly equal the same amount as Pogba.

So what is so naive about that!
Well i'd also prefer both of those over just Pogba, two world class players instead of one. The naive part in my opinion was the valuation. There's no way either would sell first of all, especially not for a maximum of 50m pounds. They're each worth Pogba money alone.

As for who i value more, it's relative. I'd value Verratti higher due to what he can actually bring to our side, therefore i'd be willing to spend a higher amount on his services.
 

The red panther

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I don't think we can buy any player close to the quality Pogba has. Players like Verratti, Kroos, Modric, they are just not available to us at this moment.
 
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M Bison

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I'd pay the money for Pogba in an instant, he's the hottest player in world football at the moment and assuming we get the contract negotiations right, he'll be with us for years to come which will make the cost now seem insignificant.

The fact that he'd slot into our poor midfield perfectly and take it from a bang average midfield where we're seriously contemplating playing Rooney there, to a top drawer midfield means its an absolute no-brainer.
 

2 man midfield

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Wrong. The net spend for 2 seasons before this was £118m. Spending €120m on Pogba, will see this summer's transfer bill come to £30 + £26 + £102.42 = £158.42m. The wage bill has also been hiked by ~ £745k/week = £39m/year.
Yeah, net spend. But the fact remains that we've still spent a ridiculous amount on new players and are still outside the top 4. We spent 103 million pounds last summer, and 148 million pounds the summer before that. If this summer we manage to spend roughly the same amount, yet manage to bring in 4 players, 3 of them world class, i'd say that's much better business than we've been doing.
 

Mark Pawelek

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Question is who are these players we can acquire?
I was going to say, two are gone:

Éver Banega just moved,
Arsenal signed Granit Xhaka
Johannes Geis
, age 23, Schalke 04, contract till 2019, might be worth a bid.

In fact, I give up. I suppose in a world where Bonucci and Stones are worth £50m each, Pogba must be considered worth £100m. Still He only has 26 goals in 177 Juve matches. He's not the goal machine some make out. He's always been a bit too languid, but I've always been a fan. Maybe Mourinho thinks he can improve him, starting from a high base?
 

Raoul

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Real, City, PSG are a few big names who don't seem to be in the running for Pogba at this price.

Can we name a set of players we can get for €120m and justify Pogba against that?

Draxler, Kante, Payet can all be bought under this budget. A ball winning midfield engine, advanced midfielder that can play central or wide, and an actual winger to compliment Martial. It would give us different options in unlocking a defence.

I would rather buy these 3 than Pogba alone. What other concoction of players would you buy that would be better than buying Pogba? Or, do you think Pogba alone is the best way to spend €120m?

Note: I know money is no object to Man Utd, and we pay dividends to the Glazers that makes this sum look normal. Its not a question about affordability though, its just rational thought, where would you spend €120m? If all on Pogba then fair enough, but I'd like to pick your brain on why.
We should be after the best players, and if as you concede money is no object to United, then we should buy Pogba.
 

Parry Gallister

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It's obscene money and the kid seems a bell-end too. Not that I wouldn't be happy to see him back, I just don't think he's that special.

Would rather Koke, Dembele, (tottenham's one), Ramsey. Can get two of them for under 120mil.
 

Irrational.

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There's extortionate and then there's just pure silliness, which is the fee being talked about for Pogba. This will only make transfer fees spiral out of control even further. I'd rather spend the money more wisely. We may not get the flashiness of Pogba, but we'd be able to strengthen other areas of the pitch too and make ourselves a must better all round unit.
 

VP89

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We should be after the best players, and if as you concede money is no object to United, then we should buy Pogba.
I agree we should go after the best players, but specific to this window, I'm sure Mourinho won't get 100m worth of talent in very good players and Pogba (realistically).

Pogba is definitely one of the best midfielders around, but just because we go after the best players, does that mean they all command a blank cheque? What sort of precedent does that set in the market, future deals and negotiating new contracts with existing talent? There are a fair few things to consider before splashing £100m on a central midfielder.
 

Escobar

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Realistically speaking, what would Koke or Verratti cost? For sure less or about 80m. That would still be 40m to spend
 

Ødegaard

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@Devilishly Red ran out of mains posts, so continued this via pm with a view to posting here.


Well i'd also prefer both of those over just Pogba, two world class players instead of one. The naive part in my opinion was the valuation. There's no way either would sell first of all, especially not for a maximum of 50m pounds. They're each worth Pogba money alone.

As for who i value more, it's relative. I'd value Verratti higher due to what he can actually bring to our side, therefore i'd be willing to spend a higher amount on his services.
Who we value more has got feck all to do with it.
Verratti is under contract with PSG, has no buyout clause and their owners shits money and makes their friends lick their bums to clean it afterwards, they have stated that Verratti won't be transfered to anyone, and as such he is automatically above Griezmann when we're talking about theoretical purchases in "how much they'd cost".

Sure, if it was Levy who came with statements of no intentions to sell, we would've said it's all just part of the game, but when the PSG owners do it, you know your time is better spent elsewhere. :)
 

Mihai

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I was going to say, two are gone:

Éver Banega just moved,
Arsenal signed Granit Xhaka
Johannes Geis
, age 23, Schalke 04, contract till 2019, might be worth a bid.

In fact, I give up. I suppose in a world where Bonucci and Stones are worth £50m each, Pogba must be considered worth £100m. Still He only has 26 goals in 177 Juve matches. He's not the goal machine some make out. He's always been a bit too languid, but I've always been a fan. Maybe Mourinho thinks he can improve him, starting from a high base?
Banega, Xhaka or Geis better than Pogba? You Sir must use some exquisite herbs :D

People who think this is silly money still have to come with a player who would improve us more than Pogba and is attainable.
 

Pexbo

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Realistically speaking, what would Koke or Verratti cost? For sure less or about 80m. That would still be 40m to spend
Both are pretty much nontransferable. Koke has no desire to leave Atletico and has a long contract while Veratti just signed a new deal and PSG won't accept anything for him.
 

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Buying Pogba this season wraps up that position for years. There will be a fresh kitty every year, and midfield is where we are weakest and oldest, so that is priority.

Whilst I am a fan of team dynamics over galactico, you should plan this around the best player in each department , not to compensate for weakness.
Put the spine in place, and supplement that.

The supplementary players are where you can save
money. Not by buying crap, but if they have a narrower skil set that still compliments the team.

Getting the best young midfielder in place is a good place to start.

Also, when you look at the price of Stirling, Stones, Lukaku etc, is Pogba's fee so ridiculous ?
It comes down to how much they elevate the team.
II'd say only Pogba offers value out of that bunch.
 

Ødegaard

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Realistically speaking, what would Koke or Verratti cost? For sure less or about 80m. That would still be 40m to spend
What makes you think PSG gives a shit about money?
They have all the money in the world and have also stated that Verratti won't be sold.
Koke would naturally be cheaper (if he still has the release clause that I see reported from around 2015), but I'm fairly certain he has alredy stated his intent of staying with Atletico, and didn't he say no to Barcelona back when they were looking for a replacement for Xavi?

I fail to see any of those as realistic options.
Pogba however is a realistic, although an expensive option.
 

Cnaiür urs Skiötha

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I don't think we can buy any player close to the quality Pogba has. Players like Verratti, Kroos, Modric, they are just available to us at this moment.
This is the main Problem. If Players like Pogba or Mkhitaryan are interested in signing for United and their Clubs somehow willing to sell then we should not hesitate.
 

Green_Red

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Kante and Payet could be argued to have come out of nowhere last season... Pogba on the other hand is 23 and it feels like the lad has been at the top of his game for about a decade. If Kante proves it over and over, yea no sweat.
 

TheRedDevil'sAdvocate

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Of course Pogba's not the finished article yet and there are certain aspects of his game, like ball carrying and his deep play making abilities, he needs to improve but he's already shown that the sky is the limit for him. The truth is there aren't many CMs out there who have the full package at the age of 23. Pogba's progress, during his time at Juventus, has been rapid and Manchester United are a club famous for helping talented players reach their full potential.

The way i see it there are two ways we can deal with this situation. We either pay the money now in order to secure a point of reference in the midfield and, in a few years time, in the whole team or we let him go to Madrid and continue wondering why we are not able to create a midfield able to match what the rest of the big boys in Europe can line up. We don't have a good and functional midfield and after three whole years we're not in the position to say "buy five Herreras and see how it pans out".

Pogba is a midfielder who can offer lots of things on both ends of the pitch and this type of midfielders are very rare to find. If he's available and willing to wear the red shirt, go and get him and let Koke and Verratti where they are.
 

Fortis Mente

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Question is who are these players we can acquire?
I don't know, but there has got to be a more productive player out there that we can acquire for the same amount or less, and if there isn't then I think we should wait until one becomes available, unless the club are willing to spend that kind of money again when one does become available. If they are then I have no problem with us going for Pogba.
 

RC89

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We haven't seen the best of Schneiderlin at all but equally he's been misused pretty much every time he got a game. I don't see him as the holding player, he's more of a energetic box to box midfielder.

As for wanting Pogba. I do, I'm just not sure we couldn't improve the team with £100m more with spending it elsewhere.

That being said, I've no idea who I'd spend the money on and midfield is an area which again does need some more quality. With either ageing players (Carrick, Basti) or ones that aren't very good (Fellaini) that we have at the moment. Not to mention we've not seen the best of Herrera and the aforementioned Schneiderlin. Although I would like them to be given another chance under a more sensible manager.

If Jose really sees Pogba as a important piece to his vision then I say go for it. Even if it does cost us £100m.
Pretty much agree with everything here. the only thing I will say is that, while I think 100m is vastly extortionate; the point that you'd rather see the money strength the team elsewhere is a bit irrelevant I think. Reason being, Woody will back Jose, if he said he needs 5 players, we wouldn't choose to then not get Pogba, he'd just be in addition to him. Pogba will not affect any of our other activity is what I'm saying, even at 100m.
 
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buckooo1978

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The way to think about it is on 4/5 years time we can move him on for 80 million plus
 

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If we get Pogba for €120m and find we haven't got enough money left this summer for a central defender, an attacking midfielder and a striker we're going to regret it.
 

ChaddyP

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Realistically speaking, what would Koke or Verratti cost? For sure less or about 80m. That would still be 40m to spend
PSG have been firm with Verratti. They are not a selling club and have no intention to sell. What would it require for them to even think of selling him? i dont even want to know. Koke has refused a move to Barcelona that alone should tell a story, Athletico would want a chunk of money to even consider selling him, maybe not 100 million pounds but still very high I would imagine. The market is flooded with money now, so that means price inflation. People just havent gotten used to this yet
 

Trigg

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Pretty much agree with everything here. the only thing I will say is that, while I think 100m is vastly extortionate; the point that you'd rather see the money strength the team elsewhere is a bit irrelevant I think. Reason being, Woody will back Jose, if he said he needs 5 players, we wouldn't choose to then not get Pogba, he'd just be in addition to him. Pogba will not affect any f our other activity is what I'm saying, even at 100m.
Baring in mind we've spent upwards of £50m already, not to mention 2 of the 3 that came in will be on high wages. If Pogba was signed for £100m I don't see anymore incomings realistically.

I guess the big thing will be who actually leaves as that might force the situation and require another playing to come in.

If we get Pogba for €120m and find we haven't got enough money left this summer for a central defender, an attacking midfielder and a striker we're going to regret it.
:lol: Point taken.
 

podurban2

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The same was though about Pogba up until recently? Money talks in this business.
Not when you are talking about PSG or Real Madrid. Juventus are on a completely different planet when it comes to money.
 

amolbhatia50k

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It's a tough one but I'd probably prefer 4 really good players instead of one Pogba. Heck we could get Griezmann and a couple more for the fee being branded about for Pogba. Then there's that niggling feeling that I don't see him staying for 5 years.

The idea of someone with his natural talent in the team is really exciting though.
 

RC89

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If we get Pogba for €120m and find we haven't got enough money left this summer for a central defender, an attacking midfielder and a striker we're going to regret it.
We've already addressed these positions. Is this a joke I'm just not getting?
 

podurban2

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It's a tough one but I'd probably prefer 4 really good players instead of one Pogba. Heck we could get Griezmann and a couple more for the fee being branded about for Pogba. Then there's that niggling feeling that I don't see him staying for 5 years.

The idea of someone with his natural talent in the team is really exciting though.
Griezmann's buy out clause is valued at 76m pounds, then there's the difficulties with dealing with Spanish buy-out clauses. In the end we would be looking at 80m+ just for Griezmann, which would not leave any financial room to fill our gaping hole in the midfield. IMO it would be stupid to go for Griezmann at this point in time, we may as well do it next year when there's actually a possibility he may leave Atletico.
 

Adam-Utd

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3 Troy Deeney's or a Paul Pogba? C'mon it's a no brainer.