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STATS: Is Paul Pogba’s price-tag justified?
Man Utd’s opening € 101 million bid was rejected by Juventus yesterday. The Old Lady wants € 125 million at least as Pogba is entitled to get the 20% of his own transfer fee, once the deal is done.
However, Calciomercato.com has exclusively learned that Pogba and Raiola have agreed to get the 10% of income with Juventus that have accepted Manchester United's € 110 million offer.
Pogba’s leadership skills were tested last season when both Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal left Juventus after the Old Lady’s defeat in the Champions League final, which is also the club’s highest peak in the competition in the last 13 years.
The French ace struggled to cope with pressure during the first months without the experienced duo at the J Stadium. Before the Sassuolo clash, which is unanimously known as Juventus’ turning point in the last campaign, Pogba had only scored 1 goal and registered two assists in ten games.
His performances improved alongside those of his teammates last season. Pogba netted the opener in the following game (a beauty in the derby of Turin which was won by the Old Lady with a last-minute goal by Juan Cuadrado) and closed the girone d’andata with four goals and just as much assists.
While climbing the Serie A table, looking for their fifth successive Serie A title, Juventus faced elimination from Champions League in March, when Bayern Munich knocked them out of the last 16 stage. The 23-year-old midfielder featured in each of the eight games played by the Old Lady in Europe’s elite tournament including two games against Manchester City in which he made a very positive impression despite playing against one of Europe’s best box-to-box midfielders like Yaya Toure.
Pogba netted one goal and registered two assists in last years’ Champions League campaign and stats shows why he’s rightly considered one of the best modern midfielder in the world, being both able to attack and defend.
Pogba won the 88% of tackles and got the 78% of passes right in eight games, whilst he scored four goals with eight assist in the girone di ritorno. He’s only second to Gonzalo Higuain in terms of shots in the 2015-16 campaign, but he’s also the best assists man alongside Miralem Pjanic with 12 each.
Although Pogba has amazing stats for a 23-year-old player, his market value goes beyond the number of goals and assists registered during his time at the J Stadium. Age plays a vital role when it comes to closing these kind of deals. Pogba's impact may not be as devastating as everyone expects from the most expensive player in the history of football, but the French star has the potential to turn into the best midfield in the world in the short term.
The Frenchman, however, has still plenty of room to improve. Pogba failed to come to terms with a leadership role for France at EURO 2016. He only scored one goal with fans and media that hit out at the object of Manchester United’s new signing, especially after the final lost to Portugal. It is worth mentioning, however, that Didier Deschamps played Pogba as playmaker in front of defence and not giving him a box-to-box responsibility which suits more with his style.
Exactly the same kind of mistake that José Mourinho should not repeat at the Old Trafford.
Lorenzo Bettoni @lorebetto
