The Paul Pogba Thread

If all banters could be done so light-heartedly, the world would be so much better...

More twists in the saga?

http://sportwitness.ning.com/forum/...ventus-are-ready-for-manchester-united-legal-

This transfer saga has the potential to go down in football history as one of the most drawn out and frustrating of recent times. For a player who hasn't made a handful of first team appearances, the fuss over him seems ridiculous and it could be about to get quite messy as well.

Last week we brought you the news from Italy that Juventus were treating the compensation payment due to Manchester United as a discretionary action, that they would pay if it helped keep relations between the two clubs cordial. Following their recent spending,Juventus seem to be having other ideas and Tuttosport say they are now refusing to part with the rumoured €300,000 required for Pogba.

FIFA rules state the following:

Training compensation shall be paid to a player’s training club(s): (1) when a player signs his first contract as a professional and (2) each time a professional is transferred until the end of the season of his 23rd birthday. The obligation to pay training compensation arises whether the transfer takes place during or at the end of the player’s contract.

That would clearly apply to Paul Pogba who is 19 years old and coming to the end of his first professional contract with Manchester United.

The training compensation is calculated on a complicated system which takes into accounts cost of training and, interestingly, this is done on a pro-rata basis dependant on the player's time with the club between the age of 12 and when he leaves the club. Paul Pogba joined Manchester United in October 2009, meaning he's been with them for less than three years.

Tuttosport now claim Manchester United are demanding €300,000 and Juventus have decided not to pay that amount, believe they have a firm legal case, and are happy to take the matter further. Whilst the Turin club are wrong to think they won't have to pay any compensation, that could be their initial point of bargaining and they may think they have a very good case that the figure quoted is too much for the player, his potential is irrelevant in this circumstance.

However, Juventus and Manchester United both fall within the UEFA section of FIFA's training cost table which means they are calculated to be on the level of €90,000 in training costs annually, which if calculated on a monthly basis and without differentiation between the levels of the clubs within their own associations, would make the amount about €240,000.

The difference is small and the fact that Juventus are dragging their feet over the amount could suggest they had a total ignorance of it in the first place, are playing hard ball in the hope Manchester United won't want to take it to FIFA's Dispute Resolution Chamber, or are getting cold feet over the cost of the transfer as a whole.

Taking figures from various press reports, Juventus will pay Pogba's agent, Mino Raiola, €2m, and the player €1m a year over a four contract. In total the cost to them, with compensation, is about €6.5m which they may feel is money they don't need to commit given their relative strength in midfield.

The Italian side already have Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Emanuele Giaccherini. Youngster Luca Marrone struggles for game time, even as a substitute - and they've now strengthened their midfield considerably. Udinese's Kwadwo Asamoah had his medical with the club last week and the 23 year old, who was linked with Manchester United himself, is a very highly rated midfielder. They've also just got Chilean Mauricio Isla who can play just about anywhere, including central midfield. Oh, and another young midfielder has popped up in the shape of Omar El Kaddouri, who has signed from Brescia.

The Paul Pogba saga looked like it was coming to an end but now it seems there's potential for it to get a whole lot messier.