Real Madrid should wait in wings for Paul Pogba

Real Madrid have good relations with Juventus and they should use them to steal Paul Pogba from under Manchester United.

There is obviously a preference from Pogba’s side to go to Madrid. That is why he has been so patient, quiet and pretty non-committal on joining United. Going to Madrid is his most attractive fit. The glamour, the stage, the Champions League is all the next step after Pogba’s success at Juve.

United are the favorites to sign Pogba from Juventus, but the clubs are said to be haggling over agent fees and this is the time for Madrid to swoop in.

If Madrid were to sign Pogba, it would definitely not be for a world record sum, however.

Madrid simply don’t have those funds right now. They can probably go up to the region of €100 million at the most, but the €130 or €135 million Juve want to milk from United is something Madrid can’t afford right now.

Los Blancos, therefore, would have to add sweeteners and that may mean one or two Madrid players going the other way in a package deal.

The tricky question is who.

Alvaro Morata has just returned from Juventus. It is unlikely he would be part of any deal to sign Pogba. Another option, in terms of quality and need from Juve’s part, would be Lucas Vasquez but the winger is highly-rated and is already an option counted on by Madrid coach Zinedine Zidane.

Still, something could be worked out.

For instance, it is possible that a €90 to €100 million deal including Jesé plus future bonuses could get Pogba from Juventus. It would be a win for all parties. Jesé is once again unlikely to feature much for Madrid this coming season and the Italian champions need to bolster their attack which is why they signed Gonzalo Higuain from Napoli.

Moving to Juventus offers Jesé the same chance to make a name for himself as was the case for Morata who is now back at Madrid and is Spain’s first choice centreforward. There is also Mateo Kovacic who Juve have discussed as a possible signing and who didn’t feature much in his debut Madrid season.

Another possibility is a straight swap for James Rodriguez with €40 to €45 million added on top to sweeten the deal. In terms of immediate impact and personnel needs, this makes sense. Rodriguez would be the creative playmaker Juve need to complete their puzzle.

Juventus have already signed Miralem Pjanic from Roma to control their central midfield engine, especially if Pogba leaves, while Claudio Marchisio is also coming back from injury. Juve also have Sami Khedira, Stefano Sturaro and Hernanes, so they are pretty well stocked in central midfield.

In addition, Juventus are apparently still looking to add one more central midfielder from the looks of their links to Chelsea’s Nemanja Matic. Rodriguez, therefore, would represent that missing link from midfield to attack Juve sometimes lacked last season. He is the consummate trequartista so beloved in Italy, the link Juve have missed since Carlos Tevez departed last year.

The issue, however, is Rodriguez’s stated reluctance to leave Madrid and whether Juve could match his wage demands.

But, from a theoretical standpoint, this deal makes sense in terms of the needs of the parties involved: Madrid — getting Pogba and moving Rodriguez who has fallen down the pecking order; Juventus — acquiring a world-class creative midfielder; and Rodriguez — more game-time and once again being the main man on the big stage.

The pace of play in Italy would also be a better fit for Rodriguez than the reported England links.

This is all still a long shot, of course. United are favourites to eventually snag Pogba. But Los Blancos are definitely Pogba’s first choice and they have the means to manoeuvre a deal thanks to good prior relations between Juve and Madrid.

For Pogba himself moving to Madrid offers the better fit stylistically. It is way more romantic for him as a player; playing at the Santiago Bernabeu, in the Clasico and playing for an idol in Zidane. More practically, in terms of on-pitch play, Madrid offers more freedom for Pogba to be Pogba, a free-spirited wrecking machine in midfield.

Of course, that would also depend on how Madrid would shape their midfield with Pogba in tow. The obvious option would be Toni Kroos dropping even deeper and playing the Pirlo role in front of the defence with Pogba and Modric in front of him.

Possible Real Madrid line-up with Paul Pogba:

This would be the best fit for the three on paper, but it is anyone’s guess if Kroos would jump for joy at his job description now being a defensive midfielder — for the whole season.

But if the team is winning he definitely wouldn’t mind as much. In any case, Kroos has also shown over the past two years that he is increasingly becoming a player that is content to play deeper and dictate play from there. He is increasingly not the player who got forward and took shots at goal in past years at Bayern Munich and when he first arrived at Madrid in 2014.

Even for Germany at Euro 2016, Kroos was often the deepest midfield player.

Certainly a team with Kroos, Pogba and Modric in midfield, added to Madrid’s attack and defense, seems unstoppable on paper.

Pogba, in addition, would add athleticism and a goal threat to Madrid’s midfield, something they lacked a bit last season.

Real Madrid goalscorers in La Liga last season:

Last season Kroos and Modric scored three league goals between. Obviously when your forward line consists of Cristiano Ronaldo, Gareth Bale and Karim Benzema the need for midfielders to score isn’t as high, but it is still important to have a threat from midfield.

Pogba is also the sort of variation Madrid had with Angel Di Maria in terms of a player that can open the game using his physical attributes.

Importantly, a midfield of Kroos, Pogba and Modric offers even more protection for the back four and even more ammunition for Ronaldo, Bale and Benzema upfront.

And, that would be the temptation for Madrid to stay in the Pogba race and make this deal happen. It is why Zidane has publicly distanced himself from signing Pogba but, along with Madrid’s board, is privately keeping a keen eye on the situation.

It is a bit unfair on new Red Devils manager Jose Mourinho, but there is always the worrying possibility Pogba may often be utilized at United as he was by Didier Deschamps for France in the Euro 2016 final.

In that game Pogba was basically a holding midfielder; it restricted and visibly frustrated him. United already have Wayne Rooney, Juan Mata and Henrikh Mkhitaryan who are most likely to play the central attacking role; off the bat it is clear Pogba will have defensive assignments in pigeon hole on his arrival at Old Trafford.

United could play a triangle in midfield, which would offer a bit more freedom, but given the personnel recruited and already available at the club, this appears unlikely.

For Pogba it will be a similar situation to Cesc Fabregas when he signed for Chelsea. Yes, Fabregas thrived initially under Mourinho but he was too restricted and his performance has declined since the highs of September 2014 to January 2015. Over time, as an artistic player, the assignments and rigidity wear you down and Pogba is being recruited to fulfil his fair share of defensive duties at United.

There are caveats, of course. Pogba would be the biggest star at Old Trafford; he would demand a game-plan that accentuates his gifts. Mourinho has also managed creative players before in successful teams. He had Deco at Porto, Arjen Robben in first spell at Chelsea, Wesley Sneijder at Inter Milan, Mesut Özil at Madrid and Eden Hazard in his latest Chelsea stint.

But, firstly, the sample size in terms of the years Mourinho spent with these players is small.

Deco represented the longest partnership lasting two seasons that brought the UEFA Cup in 2003 and the Champions League in 2004. But the rest are a bit mixed. Robben started off brilliantly under Mourinho but the two eventually had falling outs ranging from Robben’s injuries to his application. The partnership with Sneijder in 2009/10 was only for a year before Mourinho left for Madrid.

At Madrid, Özil was dazzling in 2010/11 and 2011/12 but ended Mourinho’s final season largely out favor. Then at Chelsea, Mourinho had Hazard who started off choppy, then had the season of his career in 2014/15, then regressed again last season.

There are a few common threads in these stated successes. Firstly, these players were often the one free player in their respective Mourinho teams. They generally had ten other players working their butts off. At Inter, Samuel Eto’o was used as a winger to accommodate what Sneijder offered. Secondly, the stated players all played further forward and not in central midfield where Pogba is likely to play and where Mourinho’s midfielders have historically been asked to graft.

It is unfair to say Mourinho can’t work with creative players or even that his sides are unattractive; Madrid’s 121 goals in the 2011/12 season remain a Spanish record. But, history suggests Mourinho asks a bit too much of his cracks which eventually breaks them down. Being the go-to guy is difficult enough without being over-burdened by defensive assignments and positional restrictions.

In conclusion, this is all a long-winded way of saying Pogba’s best choice is Madrid.

Pogba would still be successful at United under Mourinho, perhaps even wildly so, but the danger is that it may come at the expense of his flair.

United, however, are the logical landing spot given they have the funds to meet Juve’s demands.

But, given that their previous relations give them an inside ear, Madrid should stay in the race and devise a way to get Pogba.

The upside of Paul Pogba at Real Madrid, for club and player, is too enormous.