Beppe Marotta is one of the most astute directors football has right now. The Italian is known for having executed successful free transfers during his spells at Juventus and Inter Milan. He has now described a move involving Manchester United as his most spectacular one yet.
Paul Pogba joined the Red Devils from Juventus in 2016 for a record deal worth £89m.
The Frenchman didn’t really live up to the price tag but did provide some important contributions at Manchester United.
There can always be question marks about the move but Marotta has good memories about the deal. He was key at that point, as he was the sporting director at the Bianconeri.
In a chat with DAZN, the Italian described it as an ‘unrepeatable’ transfer which he still holds close to his heart.
He said – relayed by NapoliMagazine: “The historic one bears Pogba’s name. We acquired him, thanks to the staff I had at Juventus, for free from Manchester United, and we casually sold him back to them after 2-3 years for €115 million. Yes, their management has changed, but for me it’s something unique and unrepeatable.”
Marotta also hailed the late Mino Raiola’s role making the transfer possible.
“We acquired him thanks to the cunning and diplomacy of Mino Raiola, who was one of the best agents around. He facilitated this acquisition for us, we managed it as a team, and it was seemingly easy.”
The current Inter CEO also revealed a good relationship with Manchester United legend Alex Ferguson.
“I also remember selling Taibi from Venezia to the Red Devils. I regret the loss of figures like Ferguson, who was the English team’s manager at the time and whom I got to know very well.”
It is fair to say that the Manchester United return could have gone quite differently for Pogba, if the club was in a stable state. That will never change how impactful he was in Turin.
The club’s stability gave the midfielder what he needed at an early point in his career. He could focus on his strengths, as Antonio Conte formed a system which brought more out of him.
That wasn’t always true at Manchester United. The Red Devils changed managers regularly, leading to the club failing to acquire a tactical identity.