Where next for Paul Pogba? Why injury-riddled Juventus outcast is likely to end up in Saudi Arabia or MLS after having doping ban reduced

Paul Pogba was “sad, shocked and heartbroken” after being hit with a four-year ban from football in February for testing positive for dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). The Frenchman’s reputation was in ruins, his time at the highest level effectively over. “Everything I have built in my professional career has been taken away from me,” he said at the time.

Pogba insisted, though, that he was not a doper; that he had never “knowingly or deliberately” taken any banned substances. On Monday, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) partially upheld Pogba’s appeal against the original ruling made by the Italian National Anti-Doping Agency (NADO), explaining that while the midfielder was “not without fault and that, as a professional football player, he should have paid a greater care in the circumstances”, the offence was “not intentional”. Consequently, Pogba’s suspension was reduced to 18 months.

“The nightmare is finally over,” Pogba said in a statement. “Following the CAS decision, I can look forward to the day when I can follow my dreams again.

“I have always stated that I never knowingly violated the rules of the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) when I took a nutritional supplement prescribed to me by a doctor that does not affect or improve the performance of male athletes. Although I must accept that this is a strict liability offence, I want to thank the judges who listened to my explanations.

“This has been a very painful period in my life, because everything I have worked hard for has been put aside. I thank you again for all the love and support. I can’t wait to get back on the pitch.”

However, while we know when Pogba will be free to return to action – in March of next year – we don’t yet know where he will do so, given a parting of the ways with Juventus still seems inevitable…

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  ‘Lovely to see you smiling again’

  Pogba has spent the past year training away from Juve’s headquarters at Continassa, but he attended Sunday’s Serie A clash with Cagliari in Turin and received a warm reception from not only several supporters but also former team-mate and current head of football institutional relations, Giorgio Chiellini.

  On a picture posted on Instagram of the pair embracing, Pogba wrote, “Thank you, my friend, for the support.” Chiellini replied, “It was lovely to see you smiling again.” It seems unlikely, though, that we’ll see Pogba in a Juventus shirt again.

  According to the latest reports in Turin, the Bianconeri have next-to-no interest in reintegrating Pogba into their squad – and that would be utterly unsurprising.

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    Saved Juve a fortune

    When Pogba rejoined Juventus from Manchester United on a free transfer in the summer of 2022, he signed a four-year contract worth €8 million (£6.7m/$8.8m) a year, plus a further €2m (£1.7m/$2.2m) in bonuses.

    However, even before he failed a drugs test after a Serie A game against Udinese on August 20, 2023, Pogba had done little to justify the highest salary at the club after taxes, as he was restricted to just 12 appearances and 212 minutes of game time because of a succession of injury issues.

    Consequently, while Pogba’s suspension has robbed Juve of a potential world-class performer, it has saved them a colossal amount of money. Under the terms of the Collective Agreement with the Italian Association of Footballers, the club is only obliged to pay Pogba just over €2,000 (£1,700/$2,200) a month for the duration of his doping ban. It’s, thus, being widely reported that Juve will either unilaterally terminate Pogba’s deal – because he remains in breach of contract for failing a drugs test – or mutually agree to a premature separation.

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    ‘Pogba WAS a great player’

    Juve certainly appear to have moved on from Pogba. While his return was greeted with great fanfare, the Old Lady has undergone a dramatic transformation over the past year.

    Cristiano Giuntoli was appointed sporting director last year after building Napoli’s 2022-23 Scudetto winning side, while Thiago Motta replaced Massimiliano Allegri as coach during the summer. Tellingly, both Giuntoli and Motta referred to Pogba as “a great player” in the past tense over the weekend, with neither man appearing particularly keen on holding onto an injury-prone 31-year-old on a massive wage. Their present focus is on making a success of the summer’s midfield overhaul, which saw Douglas Luiz, Khephren Thuram and Teun Koopmeiners arrive in Turin for a combined €120m (£100m/$132m).

    It’s also worth noting that Juve rather ruthlessly dispensed with the services of Federico Chiesa before the close of the last transfer window, as they saw little point in holding onto a player with less than a year left on his contract who couldn’t be relied upon to stay fit. Why would they even consider holding onto Pogba, who hasn’t played more than 26 league games across a single season once in the past five years – particularly if they can remove him from the wage bill at no additional cost?

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    Inspiration from Kante?

    In theory, Pogba can resume training with Juventus from January, but by that stage we may already know where he intends to go next. Given he remains one of the most high-profile players on the planet, he won’t be short on offers.

    Indeed, Pogba is precisely the kind of player that the Saudi Pro League has successfully targeted over the past couple of years, in that he is a big-name thirty-something plagued by fitness problems. It certainly wouldn’t be a surprise to see him take inspiration from former team-mate N’Golo Kante, who appeared to be heading into semi-retirement when he joined Al-Ittihad from Chelsea last year, only to force his way back into the France squad for Euro 2024 after quite clearly benefiting from the less-intensive nature of the Pro League. Pogba may well believe himself capable of doing likewise ahead of his country’s 2026 World Cup campaign.

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      Join Giroud and Lloris in LA?

      Of course, Pogba might just as easily be swayed as two other former France team-mates, Olivier Giroud and Hugo Lloris, who are now lifting trophies together at MLS outfit Los Angeles FC.

      With Inter Miami presently enjoying great sporting and commercial success with their Barcelona reunion in Fort Lauderdale, LAFC might well be tempted to attempt something similar with France’s 2018 World Cup-winning squad. However, as it stands, it seems far more likely that they’ll target Pogba’s good friend Antoine Griezmann, who has just retired from international duty and long expressed an interest in playing Stateside.

      Still, Pogba is, just like Griezmann, a great fan of the U.S. sports scene, and American pop culture in general, so an MLS move would undeniably appeal to him, particularly with the World Cup looming large on the horizon. He also already has a house in Miami, and while it seems unlikely he’ll link up with Lionel Messi & Co. at Chase Stadium, a move to LA Galaxy or Atlanta United cannot be ruled out right now.

      The Galaxy’s recruitment strategy has changed in recent years, but their summer acquisition of Marco Reus showed that they remain interested in signing superstars, while Pogba looks a good fit for the rebuilding job under way at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

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      ‘Never give up’

      Of course, there remains the possibility that a club within one of Europe’s ‘Big Five’ leagues might consider taking a gamble on Pogba. The mere fact that he’ll likely soon be available on a free transfer means Barcelona will almost inevitably be touted as a possible destination, given the Catalans’ ongoing financial issues.

      Meanwhile, former Manchester United, Juventus and France full-back Patrice Evra has already revealed that he intends to try to convince Marseille sporting director Mehdi Benatia to bring Pogba to the Velodrome, where Mason Greenwood is excelling after being controversially welcomed with open arms by coach Roberto De Zerbi.

      At this point in time, though, it would be a surprise if anyone is willing to offer Pogba anything like the same money he was previously on at Juventus – or a contract of any great length. He’s been given a reprieve with the reduction of his ban, but it’s worth remembering that he’ll be 32 when he’s finally eligible to return to the field and has a rotten injury record, along with a reputation for a frustrating lack of focus.

      “I want to make [the critics] eat their words,” he told Al Jazeera in September. “They can talk bad about me, but I will never give up. I want to show them I’m not weak.”

      His task has only increased in difficulty, though, because of such a lengthy spell on the sidelines. Given his incredible talent, every true football fan would like to see Pogba achieve the redemption he’s so desperately seeking, but while he was a great player once, whether he can be again remains very much in doubt.