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Juventus: 3 mistakes Bianconeri made in the summer transfer window

By Jyotirmoy Halder

In this photograph taken on August 22, 2021, Juventus' Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo looks on prior to the Italian Serie A football match between Udinese and Juventus at the Dacia Arena Stadium in Udine. - Cristiano Ronaldo will not train with Juventus on August 27, the Serie A giants confirmed to AFP, as rumours of an imminent move to Manchester City gather pace. Widespread media reports said that Ronaldo left Juve's Continassa training centre before the start of Friday's session. Sky Sport Italia reported that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner arrived in the morning to say goodbye to his teammates before leaving at around 10:45 am local time (0845 GMT). Asked by AFP if Ronaldo would be training with his Juve teammates, a club spokeswoman confirmed that he would not. (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images)
In this photograph taken on August 22, 2021, Juventus' Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo looks on prior to the Italian Serie A football match between Udinese and Juventus at the Dacia Arena Stadium in Udine. - Cristiano Ronaldo will not train with Juventus on August 27, the Serie A giants confirmed to AFP, as rumours of an imminent move to Manchester City gather pace. Widespread media reports said that Ronaldo left Juve's Continassa training centre before the start of Friday's session. Sky Sport Italia reported that the five-time Ballon d'Or winner arrived in the morning to say goodbye to his teammates before leaving at around 10:45 am local time (0845 GMT). Asked by AFP if Ronaldo would be training with his Juve teammates, a club spokeswoman confirmed that he would not. (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA / AFP) (Photo by MIGUEL MEDINA/AFP via Getty Images) /
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The end of August marked the conclusion of Juventus’ summer transfer activities. Some say that the club played it smart, while others are found revealing their despondency. Whatsoever, it was not a quiet transfer market for the Bianconeri by any means.

In one end, Massimiliano Allegri’s side brought in Kaio Jorge, Manuel Locatelli, and Moise Kean. But, on the other hand, they allowed the likes of Merih Demiral, Gianluigi Buffon, and Cristiano Ronaldo to leave the club either on loan or permanently.

The transfer window of 2021 heralded several welcoming memories for the Old Lady, as described by my colleague in James Cormack. But today, we take a look at the errs that Juventus afforded to commit this summer. Without stretching the introduction, let us then jump into the actual cause.

[Please note that this is a slideshow, which means you will have to press on the “next” button visible down the first page or at the top-right of the page to access the next slide.]

3. Juventus should’ve foreseen Cristiano Ronaldo’s purpose!

Pavel Nedved, Juventus Vice President (Photo by Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Pavel Nedved, Juventus Vice President (Photo by Mustafa Yalcin/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images) /

The news arrived late that Cristiano Ronaldo was no more interested in pursuing his dreams in Turin. Before the arrival of the summer transfer window, reports extensively claimed that Ronaldo was looking for pastures new. But then when everyone saw him returning to Continassa with a white mask hiding his facial expression, the mood around Juventus took a new shape as optimism regarding Ronaldo’s future prevailed.

Then he was completely involved in Juventus’ pre-season, starting the game for Juve in the Joan Gamper Trophy against Barcelona. Yes, his performance was tepid, and there were signs of him being lacklustre. But it was thought back then that his participation for Portugal at Euro 2020 had taken a toll on his body and that he was still recovering mentally and physically.

Ronaldo being dropped from Juventus’ starting line-up in their opening Serie A game this season against Udinese hinted at the fact that something was fishy. The suspicion turned into reality when Allegri, ahead of the Empoli game, confirmed, “Yesterday, Cristiano told me that he no longer has any intention to play for Juventus.”

Manchester United reportedly transcended their city rivals to sign one of the best players on the planet. But that is a story for another day. We are here to discuss how on earth Juventus managed to neglect an already complex situation regarding Ronaldo’s future for so long. Whenever asked about Ronaldo’s imminent future, Juventus’ vice president, Pavel Nedvěd, always had an answer ready,  insisting every time that Ronaldo would surely stay beyond the summer transfer window.

Pavel Nedvěd should’ve brought a full-face mask to hide his red face when the 36-year-old eventually bade adieu to his teammates at the Juventus and the city of Turin altogether. Ronaldo’s departure was the embodiment of how incompetent the club has been in recent times. They would have made a perfect strategy about replacing Ronaldo and made their plan for the upcoming season without the talismanic name had they been astutely aware of the situation.

Well, they succeeded in getting Moise Kean on a two-year loan deal with an obligation to buy worth €28 million. Furthermore, they were interested in signing Mauro Icardi from Paris Saint-Germain, but an unfortunate injury to the Argentinian ruled out the move at the last minute. Had Ronaldo left Juventus earlier or had the Bianconeri known Ronaldo’s intention from the beginning, the club might’ve been more prepared to deal with the issues.

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