He doesn’t want to speak about rumours, apart from when he does
Paul Pogba has once again found himself in the midst of transfer speculation, as rumours linking him with a move away from Old Trafford gather momentum once again.
He seems to find himself in these situations quite a lot, despite repeatedly insisting that he doesn’t want to speak about rumours, before fuelling said rumours by ending interviews with ambiguous comments, such as “one day, who knows” or a variation of the phrase.
His most recent piece of rumour denial/come and get me plea has come with an interview with Telefoot. He told the French publication that “To speak about a transfer… I am under contract,” before going on to admit that “there have always been little things with the coach, our relationship is still the same, manager-player.”
Barcelona are the club with the strongest links to the World Cup winner right now, and their usual tactic of trying to unsettle a transfer target has already been deployed, as Luis Suárez had a dig at Manchester United, suggesting that Pogba is wasted there.
On that issue, Pogba told Telefoot that “as long as you don’t see me in a Barcelona shirt, I am a Manchester United player. There will always be rumours.”
Stating the fact that he’s a Manchester United player until he’s not does very little to diffuse the rumours linking him away, in fact it does the opposite. It reveals his desire to leave in a way that can be misinterpreted as a committing his future to United.
And Pogba knows this. From a business point of view, it’s shrewd from Pogba. He is appeasing both sides until the opportunity for a bumper contract or a move to Barça presents itself, but it’s not helping him at the moment.
While I have great sympathy for Pogba having to work with Mourinho, a coach so stubborn and lagging behind his peers tactically that he manages to make a £300m+ dull to watch, this charade from Pogba is not helping the team.
He will win this battle with Mourinho, one way or another. Either Mourinho will leave after another poor season and United will hire Zidane, a manager who excels in managing big egos and balancing a top heavy squad, or United will be forced into selling him after another poor season. So these media tactics are not necessary; he will win the battle.
If United underachieve yet again, and more importantly underwhelm on the pitch, Pogba will be within his rights to demand a move and Barça will be waiting for him with open arms.
Constantly insisting that he cannot discuss his future, but simultaneously bringing up Barcelona’s interest, and hinting at a potential exit one day, doesn’t actually help the situation.
