Sure, we may have only just arrived in March but we can still speculate about the summer transfer window for Juventus, right?
Duh. The transfer rumour mill never dies, people!
However, today we’re not merely regurgitating nonsensical reports regarding a Paul Pogba reunion in Turin – let it go, Juventini, it’s not happening – or any other fantastical rumours. Instead, we’re – hopefully – doing something a little more productive.
If there’s one area where Juventus need to bolster this summer, it’s in the midfield. That’s been well-documented. However, more specifically, they’re in dire need of a superior creator.
On paper, Andrea Pirlo’s favoured 3-4-1-2 system in possession facilitates an archetypal trequartista behind the front two but, in reality, the profiles of Pirlo’s ‘creative’ options means such a midfielder is absent. That’s because Aaron Ramsey and Weston McKennie aren’t bona fide creators, they’re space interpreters who are more effective at picking gaps in the opposition’s defensive structure via their positioning and movement as opposed to their subtleness with the ball at their feet. Essentially, they’re likely to pad the goalscoring, not assisting, charts.
Regarding trequartisti, Paulo Dybala undoubtedly fits the bill and Juve’s deficiencies from a creative perspective have exacerbated amid La Joya’s injury woes. Nevertheless, the Argentine has been utilised in the front two when available this season. Dejan Kulusevski, meanwhile, certainly has the potential to perform Ramsey’s/McKennie’s hybrid function but the young Swede is still raw and his form has been indifferent as of late.
Thus, Juve must utilise the transfer market and here are three realistic options the Old Lady should target this summer.
Christopher Nkunku
Christopher Nkunku is a fantastic option for Pirlo, with the Frenchman seemingly tailor-made for Il Maestro’s flexible system after shining for distinctly versatile coach Julian Nagelsmann at RB Leipzig.
Nkunku has performed several functions for Nagelsmann in East Germany but is undoubtedly at his best when working between the lines in the left half-space. He’s an incredibly intelligent footballer, manifested by his shrewd movement and decision-making, while also boasting an outstanding creative repertoire.
No player in the Bundesliga has notched more shot-creating actions than 23-year-old this term (6.12), while Nkunku’s 0.28 expected assists per 90 (over the past year) places him in the 90th percentile of all attacking midfielders and wingers in Europe’s top five leagues.
He has 17 Bundesliga assists since the start of last season and has emerged as an increasingly imperative member of Die Roten Bullen following the summer departure of Timo Werner. The versatile Frenchman certainly won’t come cheap, that’s for sure, but he may well be my number one option.
Rodrigo De Paul
Rodrigo De Paul’s output is staggering considering the system in which he functions. Luca Gotti’s Udinese are a side that tend to cede possession (their average possession share of (46.3% this season ranks 16th in Serie A) to the opposition and instead emphasise transitions as a means to create.
Nevertheless, the Udinese skipper is the heartbeat of Luca Gotti’s side. Heck, he’s the lungs, liver, and kidneys too. De Paul is Udinese.
While he plays on the right a midfield three for Gotti – almost like a mezzala – there’s no doubting his capacity to fulfill a more advanced role.
His dribbling abilities certainly stand out, as does his knack of penetrating defences via wonderfully weighted through balls. De Paul’s 4.71 shot-creating actions per 90 rank seventh in Serie A this season, just ahead of Ramsey (4.70 – much smaller sample size) and way beyond McKennie (3.08), while his 8.01 expected assists haul is the highest in the division.
Thus, the fact that he’s registered just five assists this season is indicative of his inefficient teammates rather than any deficiencies on his part.
De Paul surely has to depart Udine this summer, with the Argentine poised to garner plenty of interest from all over the continent.
Juve have to consider him. Calcio deserves the low-sock tandem of De Paul and Dybala in Turin.
Yusuf Yazıcı
A bit of a wildcard option, this. Lille’s Yusuf Yazici – pronounced Yaz-udge-jer – is a name you may not be familiar with, but he’s nonetheless enjoying a stellar campaign over in France.
In an enterprising Lille side which also boast the talent of Jonathan David, Jonathan Ikone and Jonathan Bamba, Yazici plays as the attacking midfielder in Christophe Galtier’s 4-4-1-1 formation.
Like Nkunku and De Paul, he’s a proficient set-piece taker with his destructive left-foot a distinct weapon in his arsenal.
Lille's Yusuf Yazici scored a hat-trick vs. Sparta Prague this evening.
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 22, 2020
His first effort stayed hit 💥 pic.twitter.com/nw4FYzXgeA
From a creative perspective, Yazici excels in tight spaces and loves to take up positions between the lines where he can facilitate rapid combinations in the final third. The Turkish international’s 5.5 shot-creating actions per 90 ranks behind only Neymar and Angel Di Maria in Ligue 1, with his 0.36 expected assists per 90 the ninth-highest in the league.
2020/21 has been a breakthrough campaign for the 24-year-old and he may well be on the move in the summer – likely on the cheap, too.
Alternatives: Houssem Aouar (Lyon), Moussa Diaby (Bayer Leverkusen), Mattia Zaccagni (Hellas Verona), Matheus Cunha (Hertha Berlin).