There aren’t many people in the world who know what it feels like to be worth £100million say the London Evening Standard.
Manchester United’s Paul Pogba became the most expensive footballer of all time when returning from Juventus to Old Trafford for £89m in the summer of 2016, however transfer market inflation since then is starting to make that figure look modest.
Brazilian superstar Neymar’s £200m August move from Barcelona to Paris St Germain redefined the concept of value according to the article, and it says Pogba is happy to be relieved of a moniker that he feels distorted analysis of his first season back in England.
“The player with the biggest price tag is more expensive now,” Pogba told Standard Sport. “So people don’t think about me, they don’t care about me. It is good. Me, I just care about football.
He added: “I don’t think about the transfer because it is not me. That was between the clubs. The Neymar deal is special for me because it means journalists are not looking at the price any more. They are more looking at my performance on the pitch. That’s what matters. This season, there is less pressure for me and I can focus even more on my football. To be honest, I am not someone who looks at a lot of journalists’ stuff, but I am always hearing the same stuff. You don’t want to see it but you see it. But now not being the player with the price tag helps me, it helps me a lot to focus on the field and nothing else.”
The article sets the scene saying Pogba is sat on a London bus en route from a Park Lane hotel to Oxford Street for the launch of Adidas’s new Predator boot. Sat in front of him is our Dele Alli.
It adds the pair met by chance on holiday a few years ago and have then crossed paths at sponsorship and social events since, including the MTV Europe Music Awards earlier this month.
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The article says Dele himself is becoming accustomed to talk of hefty price tags. It adds that although a bargain £5m acquisition from Milton Keynes Dons in 2015, his stock has risen dramatically, to a level where talk persists of a £100m valuation and interest from Real Madrid.
“I think he is worth even more than £100m because you see how he plays — he is very talented but still very young,” said Pogba. “But he is mature as well — you can see that in his football. He can deal with the talk. You can see he doesn’t care. He should, and will, focus on his football, and the rest, they will always speak. Always focus on the field.”
The article continues saying both men face a lot of fierce scrutiny that comes with being a key player for club and country, with the Dele, three years’ Pogba’s junior, having to learn fast.
“Paul is someone who I massively respect’,”:added Dele. “It is very easy to get carried away and buy into all that stuff, but with good people around you, it is easy to stay focused as well. Your priorities in life matter a lot. And if the priority is just football, then you don’t think too much about what people are saying around it. There are always going to be rumours about moving and what you are worth, but if you only focus on the football, that’s all you are going to see.”
It tells how we have lost ground in the title race in recent weeks, failing to win any of their out three Premier League games and we travel to Watford seeking to close a 16-point gap to City from seventh place, Dele adds: “We don’t have too much to worry about. We have showed this season that we are still improving as a team, and that is the main thing we have to focus on: improving every year. We don’t want to stand still, settle at a level and say, ‘This is us and we are going to stay here’. We want to keep improving every year and every game.
He added: “Tuesday night was disappointing but this is where we show our character. I’m sure the other teams are going to drop points as well. It is about how you bounce back.
Dele continued: “We are true to what we believe in and the way we play. We are never going to have a team that plays long balls and tries to win flick-ons. Route one isn’t us. We think we have got a very good team, we are confident in ourselves and we feel whoever we come up against, we are going to beat. That’s the attitude you have to have.”
Manchester United’s Paul Pogba became the most expensive footballer of all time when returning from Juventus to Old Trafford for £89m in the summer of 2016, however transfer market inflation since then is starting to make that figure look modest.
Brazilian superstar Neymar’s £200m August move from Barcelona to Paris St Germain redefined the concept of value according to the article, and it says Pogba is happy to be relieved of a moniker that he feels distorted analysis of his first season back in England.
“The player with the biggest price tag is more expensive now,” Pogba told Standard Sport. “So people don’t think about me, they don’t care about me. It is good. Me, I just care about football.
He added “I don’t think about the transfer because it is not me. That was between the clubs. The Neymar deal is special for me because it means journalists are not looking at the price any more. They are more looking at my performance on the pitch. That’s what matters. This season, there is less pressure for me and I can focus even more on my football. To be honest, I am not someone who looks at a lot of journalists’ stuff, but I am always hearing the same stuff. You don’t want to see it but you see it. But now not being the player with the price tag helps me, it helps me a lot to focus on the field and nothing else.”
The article sets the scene saying Pogba is sat on a London bus en route from a Park Lane hotel to Oxford Street for the launch of Adidas’s new Predator boot. Sat in front of him is our Dele Alli.
It adds the pair met by chance on holiday a few years ago and have then crossed paths at sponsorship and social events since, including the MTV Europe Music Awards earlier this month.
The article says Dele himself is becoming accustomed to talk of hefty price tags. It adds fear although a bargain £5m acquisition from Milton Keynes Dons in 2015, his stock has risen dramatically, to a level where talk persists of a £100m valuation and interest from Real Madrid.
“I think he is worth even more than £100m because you see how he plays — he is very talented but still very young,” said Pogba. “But he is mature as well — you can see that in his football. He can deal with the talk. You can see he doesn’t care. He should, and will, focus on his football, and the rest, they will always speak. Always focus on the field.”
The article continues saying both men face the fierce scrutiny that comes with being a key player for club and country, with the Dele, three years’ Pogba’s junior, having to learn fast.
“Paul is someone who I massively respect’,” added Dele. “It is very easy to get carried away and buy into all that stuff, but with good people around you, it is easy to stay focused as well. Your priorities in life matter a lot. And if the priority is just football, then you don’t think too much about what people are saying around it. There are always going to be rumours about moving and what you are worth, but if you only focus on the football, that’s all you are going to see.”
It tells how we have lost ground in the title race in recent weeks, failing to win any of their out three Premier League games and we travel to Watford seeking to close a 16-point gap to City from seventh place, Dele adds: “We don’t have too much to worry about. We have showed this season that we are still improving as a team, and that is the main thing we have to focus on: improving every year. We don’t want to stand still, settle at a level and say, ‘This is us and we are going to stay here’. We want to keep improving every year and every game.
He added: “Tuesday night was disappointing but this is where we show our character. I’m sure the other teams are going to drop points as well. It is about how you bounce back.
Dele continued: “We are true to what we believe in and the way we play. We are never going to have a team that plays long balls and tries to win flick-ons. Route one isn’t us. We think we have got a very good team, we are confident in ourselves and we feel whoever we come up against, we are going to beat. That’s the attitude you have to have.”
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