Paul Pogba is likely leaving Manchester United, just as Paulo Dybala is set to leave Juventus
The two players will not seemingly play for Juventus together again, and while Manchester United are said to be in play for Dybala, there is of course no sure bet that they will keep Paul Pogba beyond this season.
The summer transfer window is usually hectic and full of twists and turns, but this one appears to be growing into something of a chaotic monster. So many players are either going to be leaving their clubs on free transfers, and a multitude of stars are poised to be the subject of big-money bids.
Should Pogba find himself back in Turin, with Juventus and whoever is the boss next season, he could both help the Old Lady’s midfield while replacing a bit of what Paulo Dybala brings in attack. The team will need it, and while they will get so many injured names back by then – and some before – there will be transfers out of Turin, retirements and all the rest.
Paul Pogba can provide consistent genius in the middle of the pitch, and would provide better connections to Vlahovic & Morata
Juventus will miss what Paulo Dybala can bring to the team when used as a number ten or a second striker, and even as a winger to be sure. Yet for all of his brilliant talent and ability, his versatility might have played against both he and the club at times over the recent seasons.
Juventus require greater midfield genius, especially with the likes of Dusan Vlahovic as the undisputed number nine of the squad. Should the team stick with Alvaro Morata and Moise Kean too, or allow Kaio Jorge to grow and work with the young Vlahovic when he returns from injury, it will be up to the boss of the club and the team hierarchy to put together a competent, creative and innovative midfield to serve those exciting forward players.
Paul Pogba is certainly that type of player, and when utilised as a more offensive-oriented midfielder, he shines while still playing competent defence as well. With the likes of Weston McKennie and Denis Zakaria supporting him, that sounds a scarier three than what most sides will wish to contend with.
Arthur Melo and Adrien Rabiot will likely be moved on if at all possible, while Federico Bernardeschi will offer the sort of positional flexibility that Dybala so often demonstrated in the black and white shirt – presuming the club eventually opts to re-sign him. Addition by subtraction is a real thing in football, as in other sports, and it has been witnessed this season.
Now, no one is saying that losing Paulo Dybala will be anything but a loss, but some other names can be shipped away without those same feelings. Federico Chiesa too will be back with the club once he fully recovers from his knee injury, and so that too is another weapon for Pogba to look for and exploit on a quick counter.
This is why you bring in someone like Pogba. Manchester United have miss-utilised him for years, and the Frenchman needs to be back on a side that uses his prodigious gifts like his national team so often does. Juventus under Max Allegri can do that, and it is quite likely that a smart boss coaching the club might choose to do the same.
And the player can score when put in the right position too of course. A more invested and inspired Pogba has demonstrated the rare gifts of scoring, passing, and great imagination and vision. He simply needs to be released to a club that will allow for him to play like Paul Pogba. Whoever signs him will be selling him on the idea that they will facilitate this liberation, and he might choose Real Madrid or PSG over Juventus. But there is no guarantee of that either, of course.
Juventus will have to figure out how to rebuild this team in a competitive way, and Paul Pogba would be both a positive football move and a hit with supporters and teammates as well. With the departure of one’s star player, the acquisition of another will be necessary, and Pogba can replace a lot of what Dybala can do in the central zone, while more innovative play in the middle of the park should further unlock the young strikers up top for the Bianconeri.