When Arturo Vidal officially joins Bayern Munich, he will leave his former employers, Juventus, with only half of its' starting midfield from last season. The Chilean midfielder will soon join Andrea Pirlo in leaving Juventus Stadium this summer transfer window. Despite reinforcements arriving, the team must - now more than ever - hold on to Paul Pogba.
The reasoning for keeping Pogba is, well it's more than two-fold.
Juve has essentially replaced Vidal with new arrival Sami Khedira, while it has been widely reported that the Bianconeri are in the market for a number 10 - to play higher up the pitch and thus fill the creative void left by the departure of Pirlo. The team are strong in depth and quality, but would find themselves in a rather tough position if Pogba is sold. Why? Because finding a player who is even remotely similar is hard to come by.
The transfer window is far from over, but a number of big names and talents have already switched sides. If Pogba is sold late in the transfer window, it would be extremely problematic. Not only that, but Juve would be left grasping for a new midfielder. The team has the likes of Kwadwo Asamoah, Stefano Sturaro and Roberto Pereyra in the midfield ranks - none of which are on Pogba’s level.
Players on Pogba's level hard to come by
Additionally, the team would experience a let-down in the talent department. As opposed to being a negative for a potential new signing at the club, it's more a statement on just how talented Pogba is. There are few midfielders, if any, in the world who would be considered an upgrade over the Frenchman.
Pogba was also one of the handful of players from last season’s Juventus squad that had the ability to produce moments of magic on the pitch that impacted matches at the drop of a hat. Pirlo had that ability, as did Carlos Tévez.
Juve need their most-coveted star to stay
Losing three players of that ilk would be difficult to recover from. Juventus has brought in replacement players in Khedira and Mario Mandzukic, but stylistically both are completely different players than their predecessors.
Lastly, the departure of Pogba would greatly dent the club's chances of making another deep run in Europe. The team has plenty of talent, but losing someone with Pogba’s ability would hurt. Put it this way, if the midfielder stays, Juventus’ odds of claiming that elusive treble skyrocket. If he goes, they drop.
Juve has the talent to dominate domestically, but after Vidal’s sale, the Bianconeri need Pogba to pledge his future in order to finally conquer Europe.