Alex Santisteban, the agent of Dean Huijsen, illustrated how his transfer to Juventus came to be two years ago in an interview with TuttoSport (via FootballNews24).
“Even Jordi Cruyff, when he was a Barcelona executive, had taken action personally to sign him. However, we picked the Bianconeri over Bayern Munich and the Blaugrana for two reasons. First of all, their clarity. They were impressive and surgical in describing the type of career he could have. They had a clear plan for him, step by step.”
“Juventus had a project for Huijsen, and we fell in love instantly. Furthermore, he wanted to measure up with the Italian league, which is ideal for grooming a defender technically and tactically. It’s like a Master for center-backs, like Barcelona for box-to-box midfielders, or Real Madrid for a no.10. His role models are Giorgio Chiellini, Sergio Ramos, Virgil van Dijk, and Matthijs de Ligt.”
Santisteban singled out a person who was instrumental in the move and the starlet’s growth.
“The head scout Matteo Tognozzi, who has been able to handle Dean 360 degrees. He came to a youth game between Malaga and Granada during the COVID-19 pandemic. He did everything he could to be present, even staying for two extra days due to a snowstorm.”
“Huijsen owes him a lot, as he had understood that there was the opportunity do the deal, but also other Juventus staff members, such as Giovanni Manna, Simone Scaglia, and Paolo Montero, have been fundamental for him.”
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