AN INKED ASSAULT: GIANLUCA SCAMACCA
Juventus management are hoping to finalize a deal to bolster the current squad before the January transfer market closes on February 1st.
The January Transfer Market
Following an embarrassment of a performance by the current, non COVID-19 positive, members of the squad against hated arch-rival Inter Milan in the Derby d’Italia on Sunday; growing deficiencies were on full display for even the least observant football eye. The breastplate of the golden Juventus armor was patched together with an aluminum solder during the 2019/20 season and has since been replaced with Play-Doh holding together a giant fissure over the heart. The slightest of inconveniences jostle the remaining parts out of position and leave the Juventus team body open for a killshot. After sealing the penultimate ninth consecutive scudetti since 2011, the goal of reaching that cherished double digit tenth in a row seems to be pulled slightly farther out of reach.
Which is why it came as no surprise that Juventus management had arranged a meeting with Sassuolo officials scheduled for this Wednesday according to Gianluca Di Marzio. Juventus have long been rumored to be interested in the acquisition of a high profile Neroverdi player and it appears the club seems to be, at last, taking the steps to make said transaction come to fruition.
And it could not have come sooner. As any aware Bianconeri could tell you, this team is in desperate need of a new midfi---
Andrea Pirlo: 🗣 “STRIKER!”
Huh? That was odd… Anyway, as I was saying before I was so rudely interrupted, where Juventus is really struggling right now is in the midf-
Fabio Paratici: 🗣 “ATTACK!”
What? That makes no sense. The Juve striker pool already consists of Argentinian Paulo Dybala, the (re)newly added Spaniard Alvaro Morata, and potentially the greatest footballer of all time in the Portugese star, Cristiano Ronaldo. That is not even including others that have previous experience playing the position like Federico Chiesa, Dejan Kulusevski, and, do not laugh, Federico Bernardeschi. Seriously, I said not to laugh.
That is why this Juventus’ team room that is in the most desperate need of expanding (to be honest replacing) is the midfi--
Federico Cherubini: 🗣 “FORWARDS!”
Oh, what the hell… Sure. Forget that Juventus’ midfield has been, and continues to be, the biggest problem on the field. Forget that Juventus’ talented, and even legendary in Ronaldo’s case, strikers are struggling as of late, less due to their own faults in play (Do not get me wrong, they have made plenty of mistakes on the field, just check my ratings.), but because of the failure by the midfield to create opportunities for the forwards to score. Forget that Sassuolo is in possession of quite possibly the perfect fit for an understudy in deep-lying playmaker Manuel Locatelli, who idolizes and attempts to emulate Il Maestro’s playing style. Forget also that Paul Pogba, Houssem Aouar, and Rodrigo De Paul are out there and open to potential moves. What Juve needs is another striker.
Juve’s insistence on bringing in an additional striker does beg the question as to why. Does the management have that little faith in Dejan Kulusevski to play the position? Have opinions changed on the loan to purchase of Alvaro Morata since the beginning of the season and the Spaniard’s output dipped? Or does the club really only need to solidify a fourth striker option? Only time will tell.