With Alvaro Morata heading home to Madrid, Juventus are left with only three strikers on their books and are looking to dip into the market for another but who fits their profile?
After years of struggling with mid-level strikers like Alessandro Matri and Mirko Vucinic, Juventus raised the bar and brought in Carlos Tevez from Manchester City. Then Alvaro Morata, Mario Mandzukic and Paulo Dybala followed and the team thrived. With Morata now gone, however, Allegri’s side find themselves once again on the market for a true #9 as three simply won’t suffice fighting on all fronts. At the moment, a number of players are being touted as potential replacements for the Spanish international but none have emerged as the front-runner. Now, let’s take a deeper look at the possible candidates.
When it was announced that Real Madrid exercised their buy-back option for Morata, Sky released a list of strikers that Juventus were reportedly looking at. Atop this list was Arsenal’s Alexis Sanchez. Juventus have coveted the Chilean international for the last three seasons but were pipped to him by the English giants in 2014. While bringing Sanchez back to Italy remains unlikely, the Arsenal man would be perfect to replace Morata as he can feature on the wing of a front three or alongside Mandzukic in a 3-5-2. That said, the player’s price-tag is likely off-putting to the Italian giants as Arsenal won’t sell cheap. Moreover, it remains to be seen whether Sanchez would accept a move back to Italy. Should Juventus negotiate a fair fee and Sanchez accepts the move, it would be ideal but ultimately improbable.
Another Premier League striker being linked to Juventus is Everton’s Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian international is wanted by a number of clubs but like Sanchez, wouldn’t come cheaply. Actually, Everton are currently asking for upwards of 50 million euros. 50 million euros for Romelu Lukaku, you read that right. Even if the player has found the back of the net with regularity over the past few seasons, his tactical awareness or lack thereof is worrying, as is his enormous price-tag. Quite frankly, his movement off the ball doesn’t strike me as world class and is a major cause for concern in any deal. All in all, Lukaku wouldn’t be the worst purchase at the right price but he won’t come cheap. As a result, Juventus shouldn’t go anywhere near the Everton man and should let some other team overpay for him.
Belgium’s forward Michy Batshuayi holds a press conference in Le Haillan on June 15, 2016 during the Euro 2016 football tournament. / AFP / EMMANUEL DUNAND (Photo credit should read EMMANUEL DUNAND/AFP/Getty Images)
Michy Batshuayi, Lukaku’s compatriot, has been linked to a number of clubs as well and is reportedly on his way to Chelsea. Should he not sign with Chelsea, Batshuayi would be a good signing for any side looking for a striker for years to come. Last season, the Belgian scored 24 times in all competitions and added a further nine assists. Given the real dearth of options at striker on the market and his natural ability to find the back of the net, Batshuayi is an intriguing option. In addition, Michael Caley‘s advanced statistic measures seem to be a big fan of his as well.
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Expected goals and assists are typically good indicators for future production in a striker and Batshuayi passes the test with flying colors. However, it’ll be tough to get him now that Chelsea are involved in the race for the player. Seeing that signing the Belgian from Marseille will prove difficult, there is a chance Juventus turn to an Italian option. Ciro Immobile has fallen out at Torino and may emerge as a target for the bianconeri given the new squad restrictions. The Italian international came through the ranks at Juve and would count as a homegrown player in their 25-man roster. That said, Immobile doesn’t appear to have the quality to cut it at a Juventus side aiming for the Champions League.
Sticking with the Italian theme, the Turin-based giants could also turn their attention to Southampton’s Graziano Pellè. The veteran striker is having a great tournament at the Euros having scored against Belgium and Spain. Pellè’s linkup play is something that could prove useful in Juventus’ 3-5-2 but I’d advise the bianconeri to follow Soccernomics’ advice. Never buy a player fresh off a major international tournament. This is the case as you will almost definitely overpay and may have misconceptions as to how good they actually are. In Pellè’s case, I think he’s perfect where he is in Southampton. The unfortunate reality is that the step up to Juve would represent a bridge too far for him and would be a panic buy on the bianconeri’s part.
Gabriel Jesus is another name being heavily linked to Juventus among other clubs. At the moment, the player and his entourage seem keen on a move to Italy while the bianconeri seem prepared to splash the cash for him. The Brazilian scored 11 goals in 19 appearances for Palmeiras this season and has attracted interest from numerous clubs abroad. Given his potential, raw talent and the likelihood of the deal coming to fruition, I’d put Gabriel Jesus right up there with Alexis Sanchez as Juventus’ best option this summer to replace Morata.
While another striker could emerge as a target this seems to be the list Juventus are going off of at the moment. Given the current options, Sanchez and Gabriel Jesus are easily the bests fit followed by Marseille’s Batshuayi. Then far, far down you’ve got Lukaku, Pellè and Immobile. And in that order. That said, I don’t think it would be wise for Juve to overspend on a striker should they miss out on their primary targets. Simply put, there’s no use. With Miralem Pjanic and Dani Alves joining Paulo Dybala and Paul Pogba, there will be no shortage of chances being created at Juve. As a result, giving Zaza more minutes and signing a stop-gap option until someone desirable becomes available the following year isn’t the worst idea. Over the last five seasons, Juventus have had success on the transfer market and have made a number of shrewd moves. Don’t expect them to go against this trend when looking for a striker and spend stupidly. After all, they are Juventus and will probably get it right. It’s what they do.
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