Juventus are no longer pursuing Sandro Tonali, but that is a mistake.
Although Juventus have already acquired Arthur Melo for the 2020-2021 season, the Bianconeri still need to sign more young talent in their midfield. Rodrigo Bentancur is the only other midfielder with a real long-term future as a star in Turin, and while he could be the next regista to replace Miralem Pjanic, he doesn’t seem to be an ideal fit for the position.
Therefore, Juve need to add a new regista this summer, or they at least need to strongly consider one. And by far the best option available is Sandro Tonali.
Now that Maurizio Sarri is out the door, Jorginho is no longer the favorite. So there was initially hope that the Bianconeri would try to sign Tonali.
However, Romeo Agresti is reporting, via JuveFC.com, that Juventus have actually pulled out of the race to sign the 20-year-old Brescia midfielder.
Juventus could let Sandro Tonali join a huge rival
Inter Milan have always been the favorites to sign Tonali, even when the Bianconeri were pursuing him quite strongly earlier this year. It seemed like the appointment of Andrea Pirlo, who has praised the youngster in the past, would help give Juve the leg up.
But now the Old Lady of Turin is apparently leaving Tonali to go to their biggest rivals, where he could be a game-changer at the San Siro for years to come.
Juve are making a mistake by dropping their interest in Tonali. At 20, he is on a trajectory to be one of the best center midfielders in European football and not just Serie A. His leadership and all-around qualities at Brescia have been highly impressive. Tonali is a technician and one of the best deep-lying creators you’ll see, having recorded seven assists and nearly two key passes per game last season, according to WhoScored.com.
Tonali isn’t cheap, nor is he perfect. He’s good defensively but still has work to do, and he needs to become more consistent. But you could say that about just about any 20-year-old. Plus, there isn’t another player doing what he’s doing, and he could be in line for a huge uptick in statistics at a club with players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala in the attack as compared to Brescia.
The Bianconeri should be pursuing Tonali as hard as Inter and working to bridge the gap to sign one of the most talented young players in Italy. Juve seem all to willing to miss out on a game-changing signing to their biggest rivals, and that’s a head-scratching decision. Yet they seem willing to pursue aging players with high wages who could ultimately fizzle out in a couple of years, which is, unfortunately, the approach that got them into a mess in the first place.
It may be too late, but Juventus must reconsider their approach with Tonali. He could help this team immensely, and a midfield trio of Tonali, Betancur, and Arthur would be tremendous.