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Not 190m as fooley was suggesting.
That’s all in with wages etc.
Mad money tbf, what did Juve pay for Higuain?
Here, have you seen the pics of Higuain on his debut? Someone fire up a pic there
72m euros
The fish-only diet didn’t last
Premier League: What Paul Pogba’s return reveals about Fergie’s final years (from betfair)
Well done Paul Pogba. Not only has the France international become the world’s most expensive footballer but, in the process, he’s refused to bear grudges about the way he left Old Trafford in 2012. Perhaps it’s easy to rise above grievances when you’re being offered £290,000 per week, but Pogba could have commanded similar wages at Real Madrid, United’s rivals for his signature.
When Pogba left United for £850,000, due to a lack of first team opportunities, Sir Alex Ferguson accused him of showing the club a lack of respect. Pogba has since established himself as one of the world’s best midfielders. He should go straight into United’s starting 11 for Sunday’s match against Bournemouth. He will be a key player as Jose Mourinho, the manager Ferguson didn’t want to succeed him, bids to win the Premier League and he’s a big reason why it’s worth backing them at 4.60.
In Pogba, United might have acquired their most formidable midfielder since they signed Roy Keane for a record £3.75m in 1993. The deal does, however, reflect badly on Ferguson. As a United fan, I’m sometimes surprised to hear pundits hailing the club’s youth system. Until last season, United had been dining out on the Class of '92 for a long time. In the meantime, Wes Brown, John O’Shea and Darren Fletcher arguably failed to fulfil their potential while Pogba, Gerard Pique and Giuseppe Rossi left and succeeded elsewhere.
The shift in United’s youth and transfer policies started in 2001 when they paid a record fee for Juan Sebastian Veron. The transfer backfired, with the Argentine enduring two miserable seasons.
After that, investment at Chelsea then Manchester City meant that United had to keep spending big to stay ahead. Rio Ferdinand, Cristiano Ronaldo and Wayne Rooney all arrived for considerable fees while homegrown players, like Danny Simpson and Kieran Richardson, were moved on without every really being given a chance to prove their worth.
United have always made marquee signings but they used to mix them with the products of their youth academy - Keane’s place in the Beckham, Scholes, Giggs midfield being the perfect example. But, in the second half of his reign, Ferguson’s vision was often short-termist. Remember, Veron was signed for what was supposed to be Ferguson’s final season in 2001-02. Ferguson became obsessed with chasing another Champions League and, latterly, with wresting the League title back from City which is why he signed Robin van Persie for his final season in 2012-13.
Don’t get me wrong, Ferguson is my hero but, after 1999, few youth players got a chance in the United first team and there were some dubious transfers. For example, Ferguson turned down James Rodriguez and signed Bebe instead. He let Pogba leave and kept Tom Cleverly. He let Pique leave and signed Phil Jones. Arguably, between 1992 and 2015, United didn’t produce one decent home-grown player. Perhaps United’s youths weren’t good enough but you don’t always know what a player can do if don’t give him his chance. Last season, Louis van Gaal showed that he understood this and, for the emergence of Jesse Lingard, Marcus Rashford, Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Cameron Borthwick-Jackson, the Dutchman deserves credit.
It remains to be seen how those players fare under Mourinho. Lingard’s performance in the Community Shield indicates that he doesn’t intend to give up his place for Henrikh Mkhitaryan. I can see Rashford eclipsing Rooney this term and forging an understanding with Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Fosu-Mensah and Borthwick-Jackson could be the right-back and left-sided centre-back in a young, mobile defence.
As for Pogba, the maturity he’s shown over the past four years, and the sense that he has unfinished business at Old Trafford, bode very well indeed for his second stint in red. Welcome back.
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Didn’t suggest that at all. Perhaps if you read the link you’d be in a better position to comment
Bad mouthing of @Mullach_Ide’s pride and joy the Man U youth system could well drive him over the edge.
Your summary was 190m all in. Actual transfer fee is £89m.
Jesus I despair
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+£15m per annum x 5 so £164m or circa €190m.
And the shady matter of who paid the agent.
He’s a top top agent tbf, any man who can get his client £300k a week deserves every cent of it
Isn’t he also Ballotelli’s agent?
Which is his salary? Not related to the transfer fee.