Juventus slammed for Pogba transfer mistake

Stuart Telford

• 6 Feb 2024 05:24 CST
• 3 min read

Juventus have been slammed for bringing Paul Pogba back to the club when they could have signed Hakan Calhanoglu on a free transfer…

Juventus lost the Derby d'Italia to Inter Milan on Sunday, and while Weston McKennie and Co. were overrun in midfield, Calhanoglu glistened in the centre of the San Siro.

All Pogba could do was watch on - if indeed he did - the former Manchester United star facing a four-year ban having failed a drugs test in September.

Inter won 1-0 thanks to a Federico Gatti own-goal, and the victory sent them four points clear of Juve at the top of Serie A, having played a game less.

Injuries had restricted Pogba to just 12 appearances before his suspension in his second Juve spell, during which time he has managed just a single assist.

Sliding doors moment

Across the two seasons in question, Calahoglu has contributed 15 goals and 11 assists, helping Inter to the Champions League final last season.

He nearly joined Juve on a free transfer from AC Milan a year earlier, but the Bianconeri decided to wait for Pogba, and that decision has been called into question.

"In any case, you're the same ones who, when Juventus wanted to take Calhanoglu on a free, created a revolution on Twitter and got excited about Pogba (an ex-player of four years)," posted Tuttosport journalist Stefano Salandin on the platform now called X.

"But you explain life to coaches, the good life."

Calhanoglu is now valued at €38.8m by FootballTransfers' in-house algorithm, while Pogba's has dropped to just €11.5m - not that any club will pay that until his recent drug trouble passes.

The €105 million Man Utd paid Juventus to bring Pogba back to Old Trafford in 2016 was the highest transfer fee in the world at the time.