Arsenal legend Emmanuel Petit does not think his former club “have the guts” to sign Paul Pogba when he leaves Serie A giants Juventus.
Pogba failed to live up to expectations during his rollercoaster second spell at Man Utd, who paid around £89m to re-sign him from Juventus in 2016.
The France international left Man Utd upon the expiry of his contract at the end of the 2021/22 campaign and returned to Juventus.
The 31-year-old’s second spell at Juventus has been a disaster. He missed most of his debut season with a knee injury and was banned for four years at the start of this year after non-endogenous testosterone was found in his system.
Pogba appealed this decision and his ban was reduced to 18 months. This will enable him to return in March 2025.
It’s been widely reported that he does not have a future at Juventus, who are expected to terminate his contract.
Arsenal have been urged to sign Pogba as he could be eyeing a return to the Premier League.
Petit has explained why he thinks Pogba would be a “good option for Arsenal”.
“I did mention that Paul Pogba would be a good option for Arsenal, but it’s a gamble. It’s a coin toss,” Petit said.
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“The last game he played was last September, 14 months ago. He cannot prepare himself with his teammates because he’s not allowed to do so. He has to train by himself every single day with a physio. It’s not the same.
“You’re missing the game, you’re missing the movement, you’re missing the tactics. It will take months to get the best out of Paul Pogba.
“It’s a gamble and on top of it he’s 32 years-old but you can argue that mentally he will come back strongly. He wants to prove that he’s not finished yet. What happened to him for the last 2-3 seasons was a nightmare outside the pitch.”
Despite this, Petit doesn’t think Arsenal “have the guts to sign a player like Pogba”.
“But at 32 years old, what’s the club’s risk in taking him? He won’t get a lot of money because of what happened in the last two or three seasons,” Petit added.
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“He will probably get a decent contract, but with a clause saying that if he can reach a certain amount of games, he can get a raise.
“I’m not sure big clubs like Arsenal actually have the guts to sign a player like Pogba. Remember what happened with some top players that join Arsenal, most of them have been a failure.
“I’m not sure as well that signing Paul Pogba fits with the philosophy of Arsenal actually, especially after Edu walked out.
“It’s a gamble, but I’m not sure that Arsenal will take it. I’m pretty sure that some French clubs will be very interested in him.”
