Why Xavi has REJECTED Pogba
Robin Bairner
- 15 Dec 2021 09:06 GMT
- 3 min read
Barcelona may be desperate for reinforcements, but they are not in need of fresh blood that new head coach Xavi is ready to sacrifice his principles to get it – as Paul Pogba has discovered.
The Manchester United midfielder is out of contract in June, at which point he can leave on a free transfer.
Pogba’s future remains very much up in the air, with no sign of a Man Utd extension coming, while his mammoth wages are difficult for many of the continent’s best sides to match given the financial problems that they are experiencing.
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The Catalans have been in talks with Mino Raiola, the agent of Pogba, and a shock January deal was possible, according to Sport.
Head coach Xavi, though, has stalled a possible transfer for the World Cup winner.
Why Xavi does not want Pogba
Xavi’s reasons for turning down Pogba are clear: the France star does not correspond to his vision of Barcelona.
One of the reasons the legendary midfielder returned to the club in a coaching capacity was because of his ‘Barca DNA’, a desire to see football played in a quick one-touch manner, which had been lost under the guidance of the more pragmatic Ronald Koeman.
Luuk de Jong’s arrival on loan from Sevilla was the starkest example of this and the Dutchman now finds himself exiled under the new regime.
Similarly, Pogba does not fit this mould. The Manchester United star’s game is more based around physicality than Xavi would wish, while he also has a tendency to slow down play that does not correspond to what Barcelona are presently aiming for.
Barcelona continue to be linked with world stars such as Pogba and Erling Haaland, another Raiola client, but even beyond their financial problems, their project will be a difficult one to sell to such players given their precipitous drop in fortunes over the last 18 months.
