After a near perfect 2014-15 season, Juventus will look to use this mercato to revamp their roster and make another run for glory.
Juventus supporters were up in arms when manager Antonio Conte, who had just won three straight scudetti with the club, left to coach the Italian national team. The appointment of his successor, Massimiliano Allegri, warranted even more indignation. Allegri had just been sacked from Milan after a sub-par season, and very few expected that he would replicate the success that Conte had with the club.
He exceeded expectations, to say the least, and led Juventus to one of their greatest and most memorable seasons. The Old Lady doesn’t need much roster improvement during this mercato, unless a key squad member is sold. Adding depth and some youth is a must. In a line of Italian Football Daily exclusives, we will preview what Juventus need to do to bring home the final prize that eluded them in the end.
2014/15 In Review
Although Juventus suffered a disappointing defeat in the UEFA Champions League Final after an improbable run, the season as a whole will still be considered one of the best in the club’s storied history. The bianconeri led Serie A wire-to-wire for their fourth straight scudetto, and won the Coppa Italia for a record tenth time. This was the club’s third domestic double, which is another Italian record.
Along with the club success, 2014-15 also saw the development of key young players, as well as the rejuvenation of veterans. Alvaro Morata, who arrived at the club last summer from Real Madrid, had a breakout season scoring key goals in domestic and European competition. Roberto Pereyra, on-loan from Udinese, added depth and energy to the midfield. Paul Pogba was, at one point, considered to be the most exciting player to watch in Europe. Carlos Tevez finished near the top of the capocannoniere, and Gianluigi Buffon was a dominating force in goal even at 37 years of age.
Juventus have already confirmed the signings of Paulo Dybala from Palermo and Sami Khedira on free transfer for next season.
Who Stays, Who Goes
As I mentioned earlier, Pereyra made a huge impact on this Juventus season, but the 24 year-old is owned by Udinese. The bianconeri can keep him in Turin on a permanent basis by activating the €15 million option in his loan deal. By doing this, Juve would be adding much needed depth to an already strong midfield.
Alessandro Matri will be returning to Milan, as his loan is also expiring.
Juve also have a few players who are loaned out that made a big impact for their respective clubs this past season.
Daniele Rugani is probably the most clear-cut chance of being in a black and white shirt next season. The 20 year-old defender played every possible minute in Serie A with Empoli last season totaling 3,420 minutes. The most impressive aspect of that stat is that he never received a yellow card. Allegri wants that consistency and discipline at his disposal next season, which means that Rugani may not be loaned out again.
The cases of Domenico Berardi and Simone Zaza are a little bit more complicated. Berardi is co-owned by Juventus and current club Sassuolo. All co-ownership deals in Italy are supposed to be resolved this summer, so the Old Lady will need to buy the rest of the 20 year-old forward’s contract. After that, they can loan him out again, possibly back to the neroverdi. Simone Zaza was sold outright to Sassuolo in 2013, but Juve included a buy-back clause in the deal that could be triggered this summer.
It is very possible that the bianconeri could loan out winger Kingsley Coman and midfielder Stefano Sturaro this summer in order to get them valuable minutes in Serie A.
Club Needs to be Addressed
As was stated earlier, Juventus do not have many holes to fill. Adding depth and youth will be the main objective. Dybala and Khedira certainly fulfill both of those categories well. Another need is at the fullback position, where both current starters are aging and could soon decline. Patrice Evra (34) and Stephan Lichtsteiner (31) both showed signs of slowing down last season, although they still performed well. Younger fullbacks could take some of the load off, much like Simone Padoin did in the 2014-15 campaign.
Depending on which rumors are true, Juve may also need to fill the holes of some departing stars. A veteran striker may be an objective to add depth.
Investment
Numbers regarding Juve’s true transfer budget have not been revealed, but the long Champions League run and the fact that the Old Lady hasn’t spent much building this team, means that money should not be a looming issue.
The bianconeri have already spent €32 million on Dybala according to transfermrkt.com. Another €15-20 million on a veteran forward is possible. That is not including Zaza, who’s buy-back clause is €15 million, or the rest of Berardi’s contract. Another €15-25 million on fullback depth is not out of the question.
Conclusion
Juventus will take largely the same team with them into the 2015-16 season, with a rejuvenated, younger forward core and added depth in midfield and possibly defensively. A run for a fifth straight scudetto is not out of the question, and the sting of last season’s tough Champions League final defeat could drive Italy’s most successful club to another long European journey.
The post Mercato Preview: Juventus appeared first on Italian Football Daily.
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