Paul Pogba has been heavily linked with a move away from Manchester Untied next season.
The Frenchman's agent Mino Raiola spoke yesterday claiming that his time at Old Trafford was up after four and a half years.
"Paul is unhappy. He is no longer able to express himself as he would like and as expected of him," said Raiola to Tuttosport.
"He has to change teams; he has to change the air. He has a contract that will expire in a year and a half, but I think the best solution for the parties is to sell him in the next market."
Pogba has just one year left on his contract and could represent a decent deal for Arsenal. Only Burnley and Newcastle have created fewer chances than the Gunners and if Mikel Arteta was able to get the best out of the 2018 World Cup winner then he could be a financially viable solution.
However, the mistakes they have already made handling one of the 2014 World Cup winners show exactly why they should look elsewhere.
While, Arteta is trying to implement a tactical revolution on the pitch, the one he is trying to impose off it is just as important. For years under Arsene Wenger and Unai Emery, player power dictated how decisions at the club were made. The former Manchester City assistant is now trying to change that by ensuring that every player subscribes to his 'non-negotiables.'
Arteta's assistant Steve Round expanded on what exactly these are over the summer.
“Discipline, self-discipline and making sure that our behaviour, positive behaviours are continually reinforced" he told Trilluim Rose. "Negative behaviours are pulled up, there are certain things we will not accept."
“You’re forever showing the players this and making them accountable and responsible for their actions. It’s making sure the environment you’re in and the culture you’re trying to build is consistent and consistent at the elite level.
"You’re consistently giving them the information that helps them become better players or helps them become a far better team and then you’re consistently enforcing the quality of behaviour that you want to see.
"There is no magical formula to generating a resonant and elite culture. It’s just every day getting all the little things right. Every day.”
Mesut Ozil has fallen foul of those in recent times and has not featured in an Arsenal squad since March as a result.
While his quality on the pitch is undoubtable Arteta has stuck steadfastly to the new culture he is trying to create at the Emirates. The German's antics on social media are undermining the club on a regular basis and are clearly not the kind of 'positive behaviours' that Arteta and Round want to see. Instead of supporting his teammates on the pitch, they only serve to create a negative atmosphere around the side that is intensifying the focus on their current poor form.
Pogba's actions on the eve on an important game for Manchester United are just as destabilising for Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's side. The Red Devils need a win over RB Leipzig to qualify from their Champions League group on Tuesday night, and at a time when they need to be focused all the club's attention is on dealing with the latest PR storm created by the Frenchman and his agent.
Like Ozil, Pogba has undoubted talent. You cannot win a World Cup and become a world record transfer without possessing some quality. But the price Arsenal would have to pay to bring it to the Emirates simply isn't worth the cost.
