Paul Pogba ushers in a new era of non-goal scoring global superstars

There’s a new world record transfer. Manchester United announced the signing of Paul Pogba on Monday night, and they paid more for him than Tottenham Hotspur got from Real Madrid for Gareth Bale. He’ll be expected to step into a struggling United midfield and transform the Red Devils into a Champions League side instantly.

Pogba’s status as a Ronaldo or Bale-level purchase is a bit out of the ordinary, since he’s not a big-time goal scorer. That’s not to say he’s incapable of being one -- his best goals are incredible -- but his value is more in his versatility than anything else. Players like Pogba usually end up being undervalued on the transfer market.

So why the big fee? One possibility is that teams are getting smarter about what actually helps teams win matches. The other possibility -- and it’s not like these are mutually exclusive either! -- is that Pogba is just as marketable as a goal scorer. For evidence, check out our...

Oh my god, this Adidas video with Pogba and grime rapper Stormzy is fire. (@adidasUK)

Manchester City just bought John Stones for £47.5 million. Could he really be worth it?

Inter Milan have confirmed Frank de Boer as their new manager. (Inter Milan)

Roberto Mancini says Inter’s owners are treating the club “like a toy.” (Football Italia)

Arsenal’s Gabriel is out for eight weeks. (BBC)

West Ham made André Ayew their club record signing. (West Ham United)

The Camp Nou now has a grass-synthetic hybrid surface. (AS)

USMNT assistant manager Andreas Herzog checked in on Terrence Boyd at Red Bull Leipzig training and was impressed by his recovery. (Bild)

Jessie Losch on Brighton and Hove Albion becoming a community club. (Unusual Efforts)

Matt Clough on the underrated career of Nicolas Anelka. (These Football Times)

Michael Cox on why Paul Pogba might not be a perfect fit for José Mourinho’s assumed favorite formation. (Guardian)

Please don’t take anything in this section too seriously, for your own sanity.

It keeps looking more likely that Arsenal will sign Shkodran Mustafi. (Mirror)

And they might be interested in Mauro Icardi too. (Gazzetta)

Is Christian Benteke on his way to Crystal Palace? (Telegraph)

Everton could move for Lamine Koné after selling John Stones. (Mail)

Manchester City have a lot of interest from Serie A for Samir Nasri. (Sky Sports)

Romelu Lukaku might not move to Chelsea until deadline day. (Express)

Juventus is trying to sign Nemanja Matic from Chelsea. (Football Italia)

UEFA Super Cup: Real Madrid vs. Sevilla (2:45 p.m.) -- Both teams are resting some stars, but it should be fun.

Women’s Olympic soccer: Six games (from 3 p.m.) -- The USWNT plays at 6.