The bianconeri were among the busiest players on the transfer front this summer in hopes of maintaining their place on the perch of Italian football. Notable departures made this much more difficult but Juventus have done an adequate job at replacing their departed champions.
After falling short at the last hurdle for the treble, there was a need to restore the hunger into the team. Giuseppe Marotta and his team realized this and acted swiftly on the transfer window. Before the market had even opened, the bianconeri had already secured the services of a number of players. By the end of the transfer window, Juventus had spent €123.5m on players. On the other side of the transfer spectrum, Massimiliano Allegri’s side received €57.5m in transfer fees for their players. The historic strike force from the 102-point season had been completely dismantled when Carlos Tevez and Fernando Llorente left for Boca Juniors and Sevilla respectively. In their place, Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Simone Zaza came in. In addition to a revamped front-line, the bianconeri were forced to make changes to their midfield due to the departures of Andrea Pirlo and Arturo Vidal. The sales of the players left gaping holes in the midfield that were eventually filled by Sami Khedira, Hernanes and Mario Lemina among others. While it remains to be seen just how well the new signings come along for Juventus, it appears as if the management has done a good job at retooling the side.
IN:
– Paulo Dybala, 21, Juventus, €32M, striker
– Sami Khedira, 28, Real Madrid, free transfer, central midfielder
– Mario Mandzukic, 29, Atletico Madrid, €19M, striker
– Juan Cuadrado, 27, Chelsea, season-long loan, right winger
– Hernanes, 30, Inter, €11M, attacking midfielder
– Simone Zaza, 24, Sassuolo, €18M, striker
– Roberto Pereyra, 24, Udinese, activated €14M option to buy, attacking midfielder
– Neto, 25, Fiorentina, free transfer, goalkpeer
– Daniele Rugani, 20, Empoli, return after loan spell, centre-back
– Mario Lemina, 22, Olympique Marseille, €500k season-long loan with €9.5M option to buy, central midfielder
– Guido Vadalà, 18, Boca Juniors, €3.5M two-year loan with €9.4M option to buy, striker
– Alberto Cerri, 19, Parma, free transfer, striker
OUT:
Arturo Vidal, 28, Bayern Munich, €37M, central midfielder
–Carlos Tevez, 31, Boca Juniors, €6.5M, striker
– Andrea Pirlo, 36, New York City FC, free transfer, central midfielder
– Fernando Llorente, 30, Sevilla, free transfer, striker
– Angelo Ogbonna, 27, West Ham, €11M, centre-back
– Kingsley Coman, 19, Bayern Munich, €7M two-year loan with €21M optio to buy, left winger
– Domenico Berardi, 20, Sassuolo, €10M for the half, right winger
– Marco Storari, 38, Cagliari, permanent deal, goalkeeper
– Alessandro Matri, 30, Milan, return after loan spell, striker
– Mauricio Isla, 27, Olympique Marseille, season-long loan with option to buy, right back
– Nicola Leali, 22, Frosinone, season-long loan, goalkeeper
– Luca Marrone, 25, Carpi, season-long loan, central midfielder
– Federico Mattiello, 19, Chievo Verona, season-long loan, right back
– Romulo, 28, Hellas Verona, return after loan spell, central midfielder
– Simone Pepe, 31, Chievo Verona, free transfer, right winger
– Frederik Sorensen, 23, Koln, €2.5M, centre-back
– Paolo De Ceglie, 28, Olympique Marseille, season-long loan, left back
– Marcel Buchel, 24, Empoli, season-long loan with option to buy, central midfielder
– Richmond Boakye, 22, Atalanta, resolved co-ownership, striker
– Edoardo Goldaniga, 21, Palermo, resolved co-ownership, centre-back
– Alberto Brignoli, 23, Sampdoria, season-long loan, goalkeeper
– Anastasios Donis, 18, Lugano, season-long loan, striker
– Alberto Cerri, 19, Cagliari, season-long loan, striker
– James Troisi, 27, Al-Ittihad, permanent deal, left winger
– Ouasim Bouy, 22, Zwolle, season-long loan, central midfielder
– Vajebah Sakor, 19, Westerlo, season-long loan, central midfielder
Arrivals:
Paulo Dybala: After a having the best season of his career, Juventus took a leap of faith and invested heavily in the former Palermo man. Anyone who has watched him closely over his young career knows that Dybala is the real deal. In two and a half official appearances with the club, the Argentine has already found the back of the net twice. His emergence will go a long way in softening the blow of Tevez’ departure.
Sami Khedira: When looking at the arrival of the German, we must be clear on one thing. He wasn’t brought in to replace Pirlo. After taking into consideration that he was free, his signing is a very shrewd one. Moreover, it adds quality depth and experience in Massimiliano Allegri’s midfield ranks. That said, he must rid himself of his constant injury problems.
Mario Mandzukic: Following his fallout with Diego Simeone, the Croatian striker was sold to Juventus. The former Atletico man is tough as nails up front and truly gives his all in every game. Let’s not also forget the fact that he’s quite good at putting the ball in the back of the net. If you view him as Llorente’s direct replacement, he is definitely an upgrade.
Simone Zaza: After signing with Juventus from Sassuolo, the striker immediately failed to convince and was put on the chopping block. Had he not rejected moves to West Ham and Marseille, he’d currently be in the departures section of this article. However, the Italy international will act as decent depth up front over the course of the season.
Juan Cuadrado: The Colombian was brought in on a relatively inexpensive loan deal after failing to make his mark in England. At Juventus, Cuadrado finds himself in an almost ideal situation as he is a proven commodity in Serie A and will join a quality side. If he is able to rekindle his Fiorentina form, this can turn out to be great business for the bianconeri.
Neto: The veteran shot-stopper was brought in mainly to deputize for Gianluigi Buffon and replace Marco Storari. From Juventus’ standpoint it’s a very good deal as the Brazilian is a proven goalkeeper that cost them nothing. From Neto’s perspective, it’s a confusing move as the player could have easily started at a number of other Serie A teams.
Daniele Rugani: The young defender is the future of the national team’s backline and will likely prove to be the same for Juventus. After an impressive season with Empoli, the Italian champions didn’t think twice before redeeming the player. Rugani will replace the departed Ogbonna in what can be seen as a clear upgrade.
Mario Lemina: This player is still very much a question mark for a lot of people. After talking to a few Ligue Un fans who followed him closely, the verdict is that he’s still very raw and needs fine tuning. If he is able to live up to his potential, however, Juventus appear to have another top player on their hands.
Alex Sandro: Finally, Juventus solve their left back problems by bringing in a long-term option. While Evra had a stellar season in the position, he is not getting any younger and needs competition for the role. In Alex Sandro, Allegri’s side have one of the best young left backs in the world who will only grow under Evra’s guidance. The Brazilian will likely overtake Evra for the starting role by the end of the season.
Hernanes: This signing has divided opinion among juventini. On one hand, Marotta promised a top player for the role. After being linked with the likes of Julian Draxler and Mario Goetze, Hernanes was signed on deadline day. As a result of this, some fans feel that the management panic bought the player after missing out on their real targets. In some ways, they are right. When putting aside all the attacking midfielder drama, however, you realize that Hernanes still has a lot to give to Juve and is a crucial signing. The team needed an attacking midfielder desperately and Marotta delivered. Even if his name is not Isco or De Bruyne, the Brazilian will come good for the bianconeri.
Roberto Pereyra: Juventus opted to exercise their option to redeem Pereyra from Udinese in a move that shouldn’t surprise anyone. The Argentine got better as the season went on and has really come into his own now that Vidal and Pirlo have left. Moving forward, the former Udinese man will undoubtedly play a crucial role in Allegri’s side due to his unpredictability and versatility.
Departures:
Andrea Pirlo: The legendary midfielder decided to call it a quits on his Serie A career and moved to New York City FC. While the midfielder has shown some signs of decline in his young MLS career, there is no denying that Juventus will miss him in the midfield. There is currently no player on their roster that can dictate play like he can. In big games, this may come back to hurt them.
Carlos Tevez: Like Pirlo, Tevez decided it was time to end a rather successful spell with Juventus and move on. Tevez, however, opted for a return home to his beloved Boca Juniors. The Argentina was at the heart of all things good for Juventus and played as big a role as anyone in the side’s success last season. Allegri will undoubtedly miss his passion and determination as well as his goals.
Arturo Vidal: The Chilean’s departure truly came out of nowhere. In a matter of days, Juventus and Bayern Munich agreed to a €37m fee for Vidal. In the end, it turned out that the midfielder wanted a new challenge and viewed the German giants as a better place for him to grow as a player. If anyone typified what Juve was all about in the last four seasons, it was him. His constant running and desire to win rubbed off on his teammates and drove them to victory. Among the many departures, I believe this one will prove to be the biggest as it has forced Juventus to reinvent their midfield, which was their biggest strength in recent years.
Angelo Ogbonna: The former Torino man didn’t enjoy the best of spells with Juventus and never lived up to his hype. When called upon, Ogbonna never inspired confidence and was left out of the side consistently. With the arrival of Rugani, it meant that one center back had to go. Given the bianconeri’s options at the back, it was always going to be him. The move to West Ham allows him to get regular playing time and gives him the necessary platform to stake his claim for a spot on the national team.
Kingsley Coman: The Frenchman has displayed immense potential over the course of his career therefore his sale was greeted with initial confusion. That said, the offer that Bayern presented Juventus, simply put, was too good to turn down. The Germans have agreed to pay €7m for the loan of the player and have a €21m option to buy him in two years. Essentially, Allegri’s side will likely receive €28m for a player they paid nothing for. While Coman may very well turn out to be the next big thing, turning down that kind of money for an unproven player would be foolish. In addition to this, Coman hasn’t exactly convinced when called upon outside of a few flashes of brilliance. See: Goal v Hellas Verona in the Coppa Italia.
Fernando Llorente: Since his arrival at Juventus, the Spaniard has been a model professional both on and off the field. Following an impressive first season with the team, Llorente’s form took a dip and he never fully recovered. His move to Sevilla is the best case scenario for everyone involved as Juventus get to rid themselves of his high wages while he gets a fresh start in his home country.
Wrap-up/Verdict:
It’s been a summer filled with plenty of upheaval at the club. When looking back at their transfer activity, this can be labelled as a successful transfer window for Juventus. They have not only lowered the average age in the side but also have brought in quality players to make up for the departures of Tevez and Pirlo. That said, there are a few things that Marotta and co. could have done better. For one, replacing Vidal was handled extremely poorly after they missed out on Julian Draxler. Marotta claims that they were never after the German but instead wanted Napoli’s Marek Hamsik. Whatever the case may be, Juventus failed in that respect. Another thing the bianconeri will regret when looking back at their transfer window is their sales. They could have easily gotten more money for Llorente, Tevez and arguably Vidal. Moreover, selling a young talent like Coman goes against Juventus’ model. However, Juventus are well covered in his position and the offer was a very, very good one. Despite these regrets, I still believe that the Juventus management had yet another stellar transfer window as they injected fresh life into the side. As for the departures, there’s not much they could have done as the players mostly wanted to leave. All in all, I think they will be happy with their transfer dealings as they have laid the groundwork for years of success.
Mercato Grade: B
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