Matthijs de Ligt is an asset Juventus must keep for the long haul

Juventus required a saviour. The brilliant Federico Chiesa had given them a lifeline, but Massimiliano Allegri knew a mere point wouldn’t suffice away at Spezia. The Bianconeri’s winless Serie A run couldn’t leak into Matchday 6.

But then, with less than 20 minutes remaining, their hero manifested. After Spezia failed to deal with Paulo Dybala’s outswinging corner, the ball fell at the feet of Juve’s brutish Dutchman. A swing of his salmon right boot later, and the visitors were celebrating their second lead of the contest.

Matthijs de Ligt’s pinpoint effort bypassed compatriot Jeroen Zoet between the Spezia sticks to give a desperate Allegri his maiden domestic victory of the new season.

"“The criticisms for me? I always need to improve, it is normal to receive criticism. I’ve had so many, it’s not important to me. I just have to work to improve,” said de Ligt after the Spezia win."

The sequence was a vindictive one for the young centre-half after he’d been subject to unjust criticism in the wake of Mino Raiola’s comments about his future in Turin. The super-agent suggested his client “could leave Juventus at the end of the season” with Fabrizio Romano reporting soon after that the 22-year-old has a €150m release clause in his contract that’s valid from the start of next summer.

And low and behold, the transfer rumour mills had a field day. Calciomercato.com reported on Tuesday that Chelsea were interested in signing de Ligt at the end of the season after failing to secure the services of Jules Kounde in the summer. Barcelona and Real Madrid are also touted with boasting an interest.

However, it’s still a mammoth release clause – one that’d make de Ligt the third most expensive player of all-time should a club trigger it – but Juventus would be powerless to the desires of a supergiant should they decide de Ligt’s the guy to spearhead their defence for the next decade.

A solution for the Old Lady is reworking the defender’s current deal at the club, one that expires in 2024. If Juventus still view him as the cornerstone of a prosperous new era, then they must do all they can to tie him down for the long haul. Forget release clauses!

The club have displayed intent on building towards a concept they so often overlooked during their tyrannical spell at the summit of Calcio throughout the 2010s: the future. Alongside de Ligt, the club brought in Chiesa last year and opted to sign only Under-23’s in the recently closed summer window.

Cristiano Ronaldo’s out the door, leaving behind a perhaps vulnerable but nonetheless talented core for Allegri to build upon. De Ligt should be their stalwart centre-half throughout the 2020s. There’s a reason they made him their second highest-earner at the club (behind only Ronaldo’s monster salary) when they paid €75m for his services back in 2019.

For now, though, they’re leaning on the Dutchman to emerge as a leader in what could be a tricky season for Juventus. De Ligt’s started four of Juve’s six opening games to start the season, with Allegri trusting the veteran duo of Leonardo Bonucci and Giorgio Chiellini in the two big games against Napoli and AC Milan.

"“De Ligt is a very good player. He was 20 when he arrived here, loaded with high expectations. You need to be calm, as the Juventus shirt weighs heavy. He has big prospects, but he still has to improve, and that’s normal,” Allegri on de Ligt ahead of the AC Milan clash."

However, despite the timeless excellence of Chiellini and impressive passing range of Bonucci, it’s clear that de Ligt is the club’s best centre-half. As the season wears on and the Bianconeri seek to compete across various fronts, the 22-year-old’s importance will only increase.

But, as Allegri’s previously noted, there’s still room for improvement. His technical levels can be inconsistent and the Dutchman occasionally struggles against more nimble opponents. Nevertheless, de Ligt’s an aerial monster, a physical phenom and marvellous leader. He’s a warrior and a centre-back who simply loves to defend. Such profiles aren’t so common in the modern game.

He’s a throwback and one that epitomises Juventus’ DNA of winning at all costs. “When you are Juve you have to win every game, when you have only 2 points after four games you’re not Juve,” de Ligt told DAZN (via @JuveFC) after the Spezia triumph.

De Ligt’s the future of Juventus; an inevitable Capitano further down the line. He’s an asset the club has to keep for the long haul.