Is Paul Pogba worth a £400,000 per week contract at Man Utd?
Nicholas Hughes
- 14 Oct 2021 22:35 BST
- 9 min read
Former Manchester United midfielder Paul Ince has labelled the club’s efforts to sign Paul Pogba up to a new contract as reeking of “desperation”.
Pogba’s current contract at Old Trafford is set to expire at the end of the season, which means he can speak to other clubs in January.
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As such, Man Utd are keen on convincing the France international to stay at the club beyond this current season and will reportedly hand the player a pay rise to £400,000 per week if he agrees to stay.
However, for Ince, this is far too much for a player like Pogba and is little more than a sign of the club’s worrying stance.
Ultimately, if you’re paying that type of money for a player, he has to play every game and we’re not seeing Paul Pogba play every game.
- Paul Ince“That’s a sign of desperation from Manchester United in offering that contract," said Ince in an interview with The United Stand.
“Obviously, they’re trying to persuade him to sign this deal. It’s a lot of money for someone who has been in and out of the side.
“He was on the bench two weeks ago against Everton and then all of a sudden you’re saying: ‘Here’s £400k-a-week!’
“Ultimately, if you’re paying that type of money for a player, he has to play every game and we’re not seeing Paul Pogba play every game.”
So is Pogba worth waiting around for and then potentially paying that incredible sum of money?
Is Pogba worth it?
Still the club’s all-time record transfer after his £89 million move from Juve in 2016, the last two seasons in particular have failed to justify the transfer fee and the opinion on him has long been split in the media.
But this season seems to be different. In just five Premier League games, Pogba’s seven assists is already more than the last two seasons combined and his third best total at United.
Pogba has found himself at home in a role playing off the left side of midfield, using his ability to come inside, find the ball in space and exhibit his extensive passing range to brilliant effect for United.
But an extension of this magnitude would only serve to heap more pressure on Pogba, on the United board and coaching staff and heighten the scrutiny from media and supporters.
Pogba would go level with Kevin De Bruyne atop the Premier League rich list. De Bruyne joined Manchester City in the same window in which Pogba made the move back to Old Trafford, and their stats over five full seasons look quite different.
De Bruyne has 43 goals and 78 assists in the Premier League since his transfer, compared to Pogba, who has managed 28 goals and 36 assists.
Both players obviously play different roles in their respective teams, but the idea of making Pogba the highest earning player in the Premier League is an interesting one.
Added to that the fact that United’s total salary is already well clear of any other Premier League side, the need to splash further cash on Pogba doesn’t really seem to be there on face value.
But given Pogba’s quality, it appears the necessary thing to do. He has been brilliant so far this season and remains a vital part of that side, and the modern game dictates that clubs must pay up to have the best players in their teams.
Keeping hold of Pogba is more important to United at the moment than what they are paying him, and if it is going to take a league-leading sum to ensure he stays, then Solskjaer and the board ought to pull the trigger before its too late.
