Ten Hag, Haaland Barcelona and more

This article was originally published on Fabrizio Romano’s Daily Briefing, a subscription service. If you would like to receive Fabrizio Romano’s exclusive transfer news via email ahead of publication on caughtoffside.com, please sign-up for the service here: thedailybriefing.io

One of the big stories of the last couple of days is that Paul Pogba is set to return to professional football. Pogba had been given a four-year drug ban, but he was always training and keeping himself fit because he felt, in private, that he was sure the ban would be reduced.

And now we can confirm that Pogba’s ban is going to be reduced, from four years to eighteen months. This means that, having already served one year of the ban, from January he can resume training with Juventus; from March, he can begin playing games again, at club level, or for his national team.

However, the internal feeling at Juventus is that they are convinced of their decision to part ways with Pogba. Juve were waiting for an official statement on Pogba’s ban, and now that it’s here, their feeling remains to reach an agreement with Pogba to terminate his contract.

So, Pogba could be available on a free transfer from January, or from March when he can start playing in games again. His contract is expected to be terminated, this is Juventus’ intention, and then let’s just see how these conversations will go and what kind of options Pogba will have on the market.

Obviously we wish Pogba all the best as he’s closer to returning to football – an important moment in his career and his life, but let’s keep an eye on this situation as there’s a strong possibility that he will be available on the market as a free agent very soon.

It’s a big weekend ahead for Manchester United. Remember what I told you at the start of the week – it’s a crucial week for Erik ten Hag, whose side drew 3-3 with Porto in midweek. It was a strange game, with Man United going 2-0 up, then 3-2 down, but fighting back for the draw, so a confusing result.

Now today they take on Aston Villa in the Premier League and it could be a big one for the future of Ten Hag. INEOS want to see a reaction – Sir Jim Ratcliffe has spoken publicly to say that he likes Ten Hag but it’s not his decision. The reality is that they are discussing this internally, and they want to see the reaction of the team today, they want to see results, and so today’s game could be really important for the future of the manager.

Internal talks are ongoing, and results will be important, but as well as that they want to see the right reaction in the eyes of the players, the body language, and things like that. Let’s see how the Villa game goes, let’s see what INEOS make of it, and also how key figures like Dan Ashworth and Jason Wilcox will decide to act on the future of Ten Hag.

Staying with United, some fans have asked me about the reports in the Swedish media linking the Red Devils with Hammarby’s 18-year-old talent Bazoumana Toure. However, my understanding is that there is nothing concrete happening at the moment, it’s just normal scouting activity.

For sure, Toure is a very interesting and promising talent so obviously clubs are following him, but not only United – it’s more than ten clubs sending their scouts to follow him, so at the moment it’s just a case of clubs monitoring the player and it’s too early to mention things about his future.

Antonio Rudiger gave an interesting interview talking about his favourite centre-backs, and he had some kind words for players like William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes and Virgil van Dijk. Then when he was asked which centre-back he would want to sign for Real Madrid, he immediately said Saliba.

This caused a bit of panic among some fans, but I can say there is absolutely nothing going on with Saliba and any other club. Back in the summer we had rumours about Saliba and PSG, and about Spanish clubs, but the reality is that he never considered leaving Arsenal. He extended his contract in summer 2023, and he remains very happy with life at the club, it’s fantastic for him there.

Saliba can see the ambition under manager Mikel Arteta, and he can see how important he is in the project. His contract is still long, and at the moment there are no conversations with any other clubs, so the appreciation of Rudiger is nothing to worry about – it’s obvious that Saliba would have admirers from other big players as he’s one of the best centre-backs in the world, but it’s a compliment for the player, but nothing more than that. Saliba is very happy at Arsenal and they are very happy with him, so the intention is to continue together for the long term.

It’s been a strong start to the season from Chelsea after another busy summer, so what can we expect from the Blues in January? After so much work on changing this squad and investing in young players, fans have asked me if it could be busy again for Chelsea when the window re-opens in the winter.

For now, however, I don’t predict January to be a busy month for Chelsea. There could be outgoings as it remains the case that Ben Chilwell can leave, and it’s the same for Carney Chukwuemeka. But I don’t expect many other movements as they’re quite happy with the squad and with the performances now.

Let’s see, because in December they will assess and decide, but in terms of outgoings I don’t expect many players to leave. The current feeling is very positive so Chelsea’s full focus is on developing the current players.

More Stories / Latest News

Erling Haaland – Barcelona have been linked with Manchester City’s star player in the Spanish press, but my honest feeling is that predicting what Barca will do now for summer 2025 would be completely made up stuff. It will depend on Financial Fair Play and on how this season goes. It’s still early October. At the club, they’re absolutely not working on this kind of big deals for summer 2025 now. Haaland is only focused on Man City, there’s nothing concrete ongoing at all – I can guarantee that.

Merlin Rohl – I’ve seen the stories about Liverpool’s interest in Freiburg’s Merlin Rohl, but at the moment I don’t have confirmation on Liverpool working on this deal. Liverpool’s focus is currently on different areas, but also for Rohl at the moment there are no concrete contacts ongoing. Richard Hughes has fantastic knowledge of talents so I’m sure he’s monitoring many players but that’s it now.

Matias Soule – It’s been a difficult time for Matias Soule, who has been criticised in the Italian press while results for Roma are not what many will have expected. My feeling is that he needs time and I’d be optimistic because he’s a very good talent, with huge potential and Roma invested a lot on him. No time for panic or to mention other clubs, it’s six or seven games – give the lad some time to adapt, develop, show his skills. It’s been difficult start for Roma in general as they’ve already changed the coach, not only for Soule. I’m sure Roma still trust Matias for the long term.