Arsenal legend believes the Gunners should sign Paul Pogba but doubts France international’s abilitiy to reach previous heights | OneFootball

A lengthy time away from the pitch may make it difficult, if not impossible, for Paul Pogba (31) to return to his elite form from years ago, according to former French midfielder Emmanuel Petit, who is sceptical that the man who scored in the final to help France win the World Cup in 2018 will ever be back to his old self.

While the 1998 World Cup winner is excited that the Juventus midfielder had his doping ban reduced, he’s unsure he’ll be the elite playmaker we saw before his suspension.

“I’m genuinely pleased for him, but let’s face it, he’s 31 or 32 now. His largest competitive outing was over a year ago in September. To return to the highest echelons of football would indeed require a miracle,” Petit says.

While he acknowledges Pogba’s tremendous individual quality, Petit questions whether or not the Frenchman can summon the physical and mental energy to get back to his very best after everything he’s been through.

In August 2022, a French investigation was opened amid allegations that Pogba was the victim of an extortion plot involving his childhood friends and witchcraft doctors, also known as Marabout.

Pogba told police that he’d been physically trapped by his childhood friends and two gunmen asking for €13m for past services, including the consultation of witchcraft doctors.

He adds that he was harassed during Juventus training and contemplated walking away from football altogether.

Later, it became known that large sums of money were demanded from Pogba to avoid the release of videos that allegedly compromised him, with two investigations on the matter being opened in Italy and France.

While Petit is unsure Pogba can rediscover the sparkling form we witnessed years ago, he believes that his former Premier League club, who are in the hunt for the title should push to sign him.

“Honestly, Arsenal should 100% gamble on signing Paul Pogba. He will give everything on the pitch. It will take him a few weeks to get fully fit, but he will be so eager to wash his name. There is a motivation that is priceless to a manager like Mikel Arteta” according to Petit.

Pogba last featured in the Premier League for Manchester United in 2022, helping them claim the UEFA Europa League title in 2016-17, the last trophy the club has claimed in Europe.

On September 11, 2023, a drug test revealed that Pogba had non-endogenous testosterone in his body, while he failed another test on October 4 of that year.

In February of this year, the Italian Anti-Doping National Tribunal gave Pogba a four-year ban, with the option of appealing to the Court of Arbitration for Sport. Earlier this month, his ban was reduced to 18 months, meaning he will be allowed to resume training in January 2025.

As of March, he will be allowed to suit up and play for France and Juventus again. In July 2022, Pogba signed a four-year contract with Juventus, who he’d previously played for from 2012-2016.

GFFN | Joel Lefevre