Rating the Juventus Transfer Session – The Hits and Misses

The summer transfer market  has always been a thrilling circus full of unexpected twists and turns. For Juventus, however, it felt as if their transfer session never truly peaked. With Fabio Paratici out of the picture, the more cautious Federico Cherubini took over, alongside the newly-appointed CEO Maurizio Arrivabene.

Whilst losing arguably the biggest name in the sport was never going to be an easy pill to swallow, the Bianconeri weren’t interested in finding a proper replacement, and instead focused on their regeneration process. So what to make of this unusually-quiet transfer campaign?

Departures

This summer, we were forced to talk about the player who departed the Italian peninsula much more than those who arrived, unfortunately. Several major stars left Serie A, with Cristiano Ronaldo being the last but definitely not the least, as he decided to reignite his love affair with Manchester United.

Gianluigi Buffon is another legend who left the club and reunited with the club of his youth, as the 43-year-old goalkeeper returned to Parma. As expected, Atalanta decided to purchase Cristiano Romero‘s outrights, before selling him to Tottenham for a major profit. His replacement in Bergamo happens to be another up-and-coming Juventus defender, as Merih Demiral joined La Dea on an initial loan deal.

Marko Pjaca has been loaned out (for what feels like the hundredth time), as he made the short trip to Torino, while Gianluca Frabotta joined Hellas Verona.

Arrivals

Juventus spent the majority of their summer chasing Manuel Locatelli, and eventually landed their man on an initial loan deal few weeks before the end of the transfer session. The race for Kaio Jorge‘s signature was an exciting one, but in the end, the Old Lady won the services of the 19-year-old Brazilian starlet.

Following Ronaldo’s departure, Moise Kean completed his return to the club that awkwardly sold him shortly after his breakthrough campaign in 2019. Mohamed Ihattaren is another Mino Raiola client who landed in Turin on deadline day. The Dutch teenager was immediately loaned out to gain some Serie A experience at Sampdoria.

Best Coup

As we mentioned above, the Bianconeri added four solid youngsters, but until proven otherwise, Manuel Locatelli could be the best deal conducted by Cherubini and company. The Italian can be deployed either as a deep-lying playmaker or preferably as a box-to-box midfielder and has already proven that he’s ready for primetime with his impressive performances with Sassuolo and the Azzurri.

Worst Blow

One can understand the logic behind Cristiano Ronaldo‘s sale. The post-Covid world is a different place from it’s predecessor, and the club can no longer afford to pay 60 millions in gross on one man’s salary – especially with the Champions League being an unrealistic target at this point.

Nevertheless, Juventus lost a player who added 30+ goals every season without finding an adequate replacement. The likes of Kean, Paulo Dybala and Federico Chiesa might step up to the plate in the Portuguese’s absence, but this theory needs to be proven on the pitch.

Missed Chance

Well, Juventus certainly missed out on some of their targets this summer. Locatelli’s arrival surely enhanced the midfield but the arrival of a natural Regista who can play alongside him would have been a preferred scenario. On another note, Demiral has been replaced by the returning Daniele Rugani, which doesn’t sound like an improvement at all. A new center back would been needed.

However, the biggest missed opportunity for Juventus in this transfer session has to be Gianluigi Donnarumma, and Wojciech Szczesny’s recent howlers certified it. The Italian goalkeeper has been a longtime target for the club, but unfortunately for the Old Lady, his contract with Milan expired at a time when the Turin-based side happened to be at their worst financial shape in the last decade or so.

Final Rating

Although the youth movement is surely a positive step going forward, one would feel that Juventus needed to make a bigger statement this summer, but they ended up being crippled by their financial difficulties. Losing Ronaldo was not a catastrophic event by itself in any means, but Max Allegri’s current squad doesn’t look any stronger that the one that was at Andrea Pirlo’s disposal last season.

Rating: 5.5

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