By: @Crench 25
They will have grown accustomed to the incessant speculation by now, but a forgettable start to the 2015/16 campaign has seen Juventus become something of an easy target for those generating pre-January transfer talk.
There were positives to be taken from Sunday’s 0-0 draw with high-flying Inter Milan, but the Bianconeri are unaccustomed to celebrating stalemate and mediocrity. A quest to secure a fifth straight Serie A title was never going to be easy, with the talismanic presence of Carlos Tevez departed and injury problems mounting early for beleaguered boss Massimiliano Allegri.
Few, however, could have predicted that eight games into the new season the reigning champions would be languishing in 14th place, four points above the relegation zone and nine adrift of table-topping Fiorentina.
That is the reality of the situation, though, and the next few months are likely to test those charged with delivering success on and off the field.
A reversal in fortune and a positive run through to the end of the calendar year would help to lift some of the dark clouds which have formed over the club – although Serie A betting markets are refusing to write them off just yet as they remain 10/3 at the time of writing to spark into life at some stage.
Were they to start moving swiftly up the standings, then talk of possible exits should also be quelled.
Much of the summer was, once again, spent playing down rumours surrounding the futures of key men, with Tevez and Arturo Vidal leaving for pastures new while the likes of Paul Pogba and Alvaro Morata stayed put.
It is, however, Claudio Marchisio who has swept back to the top of gossip columns of late.
The Italy international, just three months on from penning a five-year contract extension intended to see him end his playing days as a one-club man, is said to be generating interest from England. Arsenal and Manchester United have been heavily linked with the 29-year-old in the recent past, with Liverpool now reported to be back in the hunt for a midfield presence seemingly well suited to life in the Premier League.
Juve, though, are refusing to be drawn into another potentially distracting saga, with general manager Giuseppe Marotta making it abundantly clear where the club stand on the issue.
Agnelli: “@ClaMarchisio8 has signed a five-year contract extension with the club.” #Marchisio2020 http://pic.twitter.com/imwpzRd9mX
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) July 6, 2015
He told Sport Mediaset: “All I can say is that we’re receiving offers all the time for our players, but we are used to buying, not selling players.”
The player himself has offered no indication that he is looking for a way out of his home-town club, with endless rounds of speculation now shrugged off without too much attention paid.
Juve, though, will know that they remain vulnerable for as long as they continue to flounder, with it of vital importance for them to enter the New Year with momentum fully restored if they are to position themselves back in the hunt for major honours and keep potential transfer wolves from their door.
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