Juventus: 3 players to consider teaming up with Arthur Melo in the future

Juventus have issues in the middle of the park, as midfield will be their biggest position of need in the 2021 summer transfer window. But Juve did acquire two legitimate building blocks at the position this past summer, acquiring Arthur Melo in a trade with Barcelona and then Weston McKennie from Schalke after agreeing to make his loan deal permanent. 

Of these two players, Arthur is the most likely to be a long-term starter for the Old Lady, whether the club decides to stick with this 4-4-2 under Andrea Pirlo or revert back to the 4-3-3 that once served them well.

In the case of the former, here are three players who can be paired up with Arthur in the future.

Manuel Locatelli

We begin with Sassuolo star Manuel Locatelli, who should be Juve’s preferred option in the transfer market. He is in the midst of a sensational season for the Serie A side, building on his work in 2019-2020.

According to WhoScored.com, Locatelli is averaging 2.7 tackles per game, 1.6 interceptions per game, 1.5 fouls drawn per game, and 1.1 key passes per game. He brings all-around quality that Juventus are honestly lacking. Arthur is a good control but not a good defender. Rodrigo Bentancur can defend, but his ball security is a question mark.

More from Old Juve

• Juventus beat Udinese 3-0 in first match of the season
• Team previews: Will Juventus’ attack fulfill its potential?
• Team Previews: Juventus midfielders need to show growth this year
• Team previews: Juventus defenders look ready to compete for Scudetto
• Leonardo Bonucci may be leaving Juventus soon

But Locatelli? He excels at both. A partnership of Arthur and Locatelli wouldn’t just be one of the best in Serie A. It would be one of the best tandems in Europe.

Houssem Aouar

If Juventus cannot acquire Houssem Aouar from Sassuolo this summer, then Lyon’s Houssem Aouar is another star player to target.

He offers more attacking quality than Locatelli and might have a little more overall upside, though he does not quite bring the defensive quality or all-around control that Locatelli does. And that difference might ultimately make Locatelli the better option for Juve.

Even so, Aouar would be more than a mere consolation prize. A lot of clubs around Europe will be interested in signing the French international, but Juventus should be the favorites if they want to go all-in for him. The ball-carrying between Aouar and Arthur would be fantastic, and Aouar brings the creativity that Arthur is honestly lacking.

Weston McKennie

What if Juventus strike out on their best midfield options? The next best player after Arthur is Weston McKennie. In an ideal world, he would not be a starter for Juve so soon, but the 22-year-old has been quite productive in his first season in Turin with five goals and two assists in all competitions. No other midfielder has contributed more goals to this team.

McKennie plays good defense, makes great decisions on and off the ball, and makes up for his growing technical quality by keeping this simple and progressive on the ball. That’s what helps make him such an asset to Juve.