There is no doubt that Gianluigi Buffon is the starting goalkeeper for Juventus, but who will be backing him up in 2015-16?
About midway through last season, it was reported that Norberto Neto, who was out of contract at Fiorentina at seasons end, would not resign with the viola, and even had an agreement with Juventus to sign for the four-time scudetto winners. Fiorentina took exception to that and benched their first choice keeper for Ciprian Tatarusanu. As the season came to a close, though, news became cold. Neto and his agent said that there was no deal with Juve, Roma and Liverpool came into the mix, and so far, nothing has been set in stone for the 25 year-old keeper.
There has been a debate raging since the end of the season about whether Juventus needs a new second choice keeper. Some say that Marco Storari should retain the position that he has held since 2010. The 38 year-old shotstopper led Juve through to their tenth Coppa Italia title, and made some great saves deputizing Buffon after the scudetto was locked up. Others say that signing Neto would halt the progress of young Nicola Leali, who was on loan at Cesena last term. Leali has been hailed as the natural heir to Buffon once he decides to hang up his gloves…
…and that may be awhile. The 37 year-old has expressed his desire to continue playing, even until the age of 40. He has also stated that he would like to start for Italy in the 2018 World Cup which would be his fifth. Dino Zoff holds the record for oldest World Cup victor with Italy when he was 40 years and four months old. The 2018 World Cup would put Buffon at 40 years and six months old. By that time, Leali should be ready to take the reigns, but what until then?
Storari recently signed a one-year extension with the bianconeri, and will most likely retire after that deal is up. If he deputizes Buffon for one more season, Neto will most likely be off of the market and Juve will have to rely on Leali, who may not be ready by that time, to be the second choice and Coppa Italia starter.
If Neto gets a three-year deal, he can allow the transition from Buffon to Leali to go by a little bit easier as it will allow Leali to continue starting on loan. With Buffon and Neto possibly leaving in the same year, it would open the door for Leali to start and newly acquired Alberto Brignoli to deputize him. Brignoli was bought from Serie B Ternana by Juve, and immediately sent on loan to Cesena. He was hailed as the best keeper in Serie B last season.
Another argument in this great debate, is that Neto would not be happy in a second choice role, and that it would cause unnecessary conflict of interest for the first choice role. It was suggested in this article from Bleacher Report earlier in June. The fact that stalls this argument is that Neto would be the first choice when it comes to the Coppa Italia, and maybe even some earlier Champions League matches. It is a huge struggle for a goalkeeper to start in three competitions throughout a season, so Neto would have a very defined and valuable role.
Juventus is looking to make long runs in all three competitions in 2015-16. Two very solid goalkeepers behind Buffon would be invaluable to that success.
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The post DEBATE: Do Juventus Need to Sign Norberto Neto? appeared first on Italian Football Daily.
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