Assessing Juventus’ 2021 summer signings so far
Moise Kean
Following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo, Juventus moved quickly to bring Moise Kean back to Turin after he’d left for Everton two years prior. His stint in the Premier League was forgettable, but Kean rediscovered his best form on loan at Paris Saint-Germain during the 2020/21 campaign.
The Italian has been used infrequently by Allegri this term, with Kean recently blighted by injury. Alvaro Morata’s been the manager’s go-to guy but the 21-year-old has earned three Serie A starts. He’s scored twice and remains an enigmatic figure.
It certainly hasn’t been a fruitful return to Juventus for Kean as of yet, but the talent’s distinct. He just needs refinement. Despite netting on a couple of occasions, the Italy international hasn’t quite taken the opportunities that have fallen to him at the start of the season. However, on his last appearance before his injury, Kean scored an inadvertent winner in the gritty win over AS Roma in October.
There’s no doubting that the 21-year-old has plenty to offer this Juventus side in the short and long term, but we’re yet to see the sharpest iteration of Kean since his return. It’ll come.
Way too early transfer grade: B-
Kaio Jorge
It’s incredibly difficult to write anything about Kaio Jorge without littering the assessment with the word ‘raw’. In fact, it’s impossible.
The young Brazilian is as raw as it gets, but in his incredibly short sample size in senior Bianconeri colours, the early signs have been bright. The teenager has an admirer in Allegri, but we’ve seen just 41 minutes of him across four appearances in Serie A.
His 27-minute cameo in the defeat to Sassuolo was where Jorge flashed what he could provide the Bianconeri further down the line. The occasion didn’t seem too big for him as he caused the Sassuolo defenders problems with his savvy movement. He was full of running and his sound technique allowed him to retain possession in the face of pressure and drift out wide where he could combine and cross. The Brazilian doesn’t strike you as a forward who’ll score 25-30 goals a season, but one who can create frequently for others and score rather sporadically.
The Sassuolo cameo was laden with thrust and exuberance, and if Alvaro Morata’s slump continues, expect to see more of Jorge before the year’s out.
Considering his minute price tag and his considerable potential, this was a smart move from Juventus.
Way too early transfer grade: B