FEATURE | Paul Pogba to AS Monaco – a low-risk bet? | OneFootball

“Let’s remember that free agents have salaries, too,” joked AS Monaco CEO Thiago Scuro, responding to a question from Get French Football News in late May. “They aren’t the solution for everything! We don’t want to step away from our [youth-centric] strategy either. There are some free agent opportunities, but they cost money, they have a salary, and they have an impact on our play-style, too. We want to keep our strategy, balance [it out] a bit but not step away from it,” he added.

Since, the Principality club have been attentive to the free agent market. Eric Dier has already arrived from Bayern Munich, Sergio Reguilón remains a target, whilst David De Gea was considered prior to renewing at Fiorentina. All of those targets are consistent with Scuro’s comments back in January. “My understanding is that, in the summer (2024), maybe with the goals we have, we were becoming too young.” That “balance” is now being struck, firstly through Dier and now through the arrival of a World Cup winner.

An affordable bet?

As per Le Parisien, Paul Pogba (32) will sign a two-year deal with the Principality club. He is expected for a medical this week, perhaps as early as Tuesday. His signature comes despite reported interest from Saudi Arabia. Whilst contract details are yet to emerge, the former Manchester United and Juventus midfielder will be expected to be one of the top earners at the club.

With that salary naturally comes expectations, but crucially, at Monaco, there will not be a reliance. Les Monégasques’ UEFA Champions League qualification (for the second consecutive season), coupled with the departures of some of the top-earners in recent years and some strong sales figures (€50m in 2024/25, €62m in 2023/24, and €156m in 2022/23), leaves the club on a solid financial footing. Further sales (Maghnes Akliouche, Wilfried Singo, Vanderson) are expected this summer, too.

The financial outlay on Pogba will be significant, despite his “free agent” tag, and so there can be no illusion of this being a risk-free bet from the Principality club, especially given the question marks over fitness. Ever prior to his doping ban, which kept him away from the football pitch for 18 months, he contended with a series of injuries that, since the start of the 2022/23 season, have restricted him to just over 200 minutes of playing time.

Pogba – a wildcard signing

He will need time to re-find his rhythm, and at Monaco, perhaps more than elsewhere, they can afford Pogba the time to do just that. He can be used as something of a wildcard, albeit an expensive one. Les Monégasques already have one of the best midfields in France. Denis Zakaria, now club captain, enjoyed another strong campaign, despite some injury absences; Lamine Camara had his ups and downs in his debut season at the Stade Louis II, but the way in which he finished the season was a more than positive omen; then there are the youngsters, Soungoutou Magassa and Mamadou Coulibaly, who are ready to step up – the former in particular has already accrued plenty of first-team experience; and if needed, Eric Dier can also step up.

Pogba can complement those options, but the strength and depth already there dispel any notion of reliance on a player whose recent injury record suggests that he can not be relied upon, at least not for a full season.

But there is plenty of potential upside. If he can rediscover the levels that he displayed prior to his injury lay-offs and then his ban, he is a player who can take them further domestically and in Europe, as is the objective for next season. Despite the wealth of options already in the Monaco midfield, Pogba would bring something different and would allow Adi Hütter to be even more tactically flexible. Then there are the intangibles. A World Cup winner and a big personality, he can be a guiding influence and a leader within what remains a very young dressing room. Camara has lauded Zakaria’s ability to improve him as a midfielder, and Pogba could also add another facet to Camara’s game, or Magassa’s or Coulibaly’s, for that matter.

Pogba sets sights on 2026 World Cup

Pogba’s decision to join Monaco, rather than make the move to Saudi Arabia, is a strong indication of where his head is at, too and his priorities heading into a World Cup year. The 2018 World Cup winner is determined to win back a place in Didier Deschamps’ side. There is no better place to do that than at Monaco, whose training ground is just a stone’s throw away from Deschamps’ home. Monaco can therefore count on a highly motivated Pogba, and one who will have made compromises to get his move.

His mind is in the right place, but it is his physical state that will ultimately determine whether this mutual bet is one well placed.

GFFN | Luke Entwistle