Juventus need to change their approach in the 2021 summer transfer window. After years of focusing too much on free agents and hoarding veteran players, Juve need to select a core group of experienced stars and then let their young talents grow. But unfortunately, they may be making a misstep in central defense under new manager Max Allegri.
All signs point to the Old Lady keeping Giorgio Chiellini for the 2021-2022 season after there were rumors of a possible retirement or move elsewhere with one year left on his deal. Allegri reportedly wants to keep both Chiellini and fellow captain Leonardo Bonucci.
I have nothing against either player, of course. Chiellini and Bonucci are both Juventus legends and are still good center backs, even at the ages of 36 and 34 respectively.
But when you look at their ages side-by-side, you can see part of the reason why I am leery about Allegri continuing with both men. Even though I did say both are effective, they both share one trait in common that troubles me. And that’s proneness to errors.
Juventus could lose Merih Demiral if they keep Giorgio Chiellini
Between the two of them, Chiellini is less of an issue in this regard, though he does give away clumsy penalties that cost the team. Bonucci’s errors are far more frustrating and nearly completely undermine his positive qualities on the ball. Look no further than his disasterclass against Fiorentina in their first head-to-head fixture of the 2020-2021 season.
Chiellini is the easier player to walk away from, though. Juventus could just elect not to re-sign him. With Chiellini, the injury problems are an even bigger issue, and it is already hard to rely on him because of these nagging injuries, even if he is the captain.
Above all else, committing to both Chiellini and Leonardo Bonucci for another season could cost the Bianconeri one of the best young center backs in Serie A. No, I am not talking about Matthijs de Ligt, though his minutes do theoretically suffer if both Bonucci and Chiellini stay. And there have been (unreliable) rumors about unrest.
I am referring to Turkish international Merih Demiral, who was good for Sassuolo and even better for Juve in 2019-2020 before suffering a season-ending injury. And when he did play this season for the Bianconeri, he was excellent, mostly in the first half of the season. Demiral is not the finished product yet, but, for my money, the 23-year-old is as good as Chiellini right now and better than Bonucci, even if he is still lacking on the ball in his passing range.
Beyond Demiral, who could demand a transfer if his path to playing time does not open up, Radu Dragusin is a name to watch as a young center back. And on the topic of veteran players, Danilo showed a LOT of ability at center back last season. He outplayed Chiellini and Bonucci, easy. Even Alex Sandro looked very good at center back, so he could also make a successful transition to central defense like his compatriot on the right side of a back four.
Juventus have options. Sticking with the past and holding onto Chiellini and Bonucci is not the best play for the Old Lady. At some point, they need to show faith in Demiral. And if he does falter or the team needs a veteran hand, I don’t see how much more Chiellini offers at this stage than, say, Danilo. To me, Allegri’s position and Juve’s decision to roll with both is understandable, but it risks falling into the same trap of thinking that has hurt Juve recently.