A quiet time for juve matters on field, which leads to the usual recalibration of focus towards the mercato, even though that circus remains an age away. Still, as it is all we have, it seems worth joining in the cacophony…
Aguero has been a stunning player. Much talk a few years back suggested our firm interest but with the PL clubs eager, especially City, we were always likely to lose out on the financial offer. And now, when he is no longer needed by the top PL club, coming off a season of injury and looking for a mega final payday, Juve are interested? I am less sure, or at least hopeful that this is just tabloid nonsense.
If we are to assume the status quo remains, I do not see how a striker in his mould would fit a system designed to create space and openings for Ronaldo. Aguero is rightfully more focused on scoring goals than creating them, though he is an able provider, just not to the degree required for Ronaldo. The Argentine would baulk as much as me at finding his new role one of playing often with his back to goal, drawing defenders away for another to capitalise…Add in the wages, and sign on fee, and the move makes no sense. We need to move away from such a staggering disparity of wages in the squad as I doubt it helps to nourish team unity. How would you feel if another colleague doing the same job was earning 10 or 20 or 50 times as much as you? Regardless of who they were.
Morata, the incumbent CF, must surely have the jury very much still out. As despite a few flurries of great form, he has since faltered, gone off the boil, and why have another season of essentially a massively overpriced loan fee (masquerading as part of the end transfer fee) if we are not already sure of his worth? Are you sure of his worth? I believe we may be better off investing our money elsewhere, given his season has not proven a steady success. Though this is hard to judge when very few players have seen steady success individually.
Talk of a cut price 12m deal for Milik fails to inspire excitement. I would prefer a punt on Scamacca…
Some positive news in whispers regarding Lyon’s eagerness to secure De Sciglio on a permanent deal. Most will lean instantly towards Aouar, yet I would prefer a straight sale and to use the money towards Locatelli.
Less heart warming, but to be expected from the current management, are rumours of Fagioli being part of a deal for Gosens or Locatelli. Sell him whilst his value is low, when his credible creative zeal in the middle of the park is something we are sorely missing, then pay 4 or 5 times the money to try solve the midfield issues, which for me are mainly based in our lack of creativity. Illogical and another verse in the song of the doomed.
Other click-bait ramblings have abounded of late of Paratici speaking with the nobleman Raiola, of ‘the new Pogba’ aka Ryan Gravenberch. A Cm for Ajax gathering a fair amount of interest in the usual mercato rumbling platforms. The 18 year old dutchman, already a first team regular for Ajax, appears, albeit from youtube videos focusing on his finest moments, a curious character>>>
I don’t like the connection we have, via Nedved (what else does he bring to the club as vice-President??) to the ‘super agent’ and chubby Del Boy wheeler dealer got rich of the explosion of transfer fees.
And to sum up the media machine, rarely to be trusted, I now stumble upon, as I am deeper in the smirnoff out here by the fire, a report referencing Di Marzio>>>
Sky Sport Italia journalist Gianluca Di Marzio reveals Juventus remain Paul Pogba’s ‘favourite destination’.
To spend the majority of any money we have to spare on Pogba would be hideous. Whilst he can add everything we lack in the midfield technically, my own experience of returning to invest hugely in former loves that have gone wrong previously is appalling. If this move transpired, it would mean we cut corners on all other areas of the squad which demand improvement, cry out in our nightmares…Forget Gosens and what of a CF? What of a proper RB??
His salary would be staggering. He has shown zero capacity to lead a midfield at United, when one of our myriad of issues is a lack of leadership presence in the middle of the park. It would be a horrible move for the club, yet Paratici has such a ‘coup for marketing purposes’ well within his ken.
And to take a few steps backwards in time, the Ronaldo dilemma has proven paramount. Will he stay? Are the club trying to sell him off to balance the sheets and move more seriously towards accepting it hasn’t worked? Or…are they doubling down, working on a renewal to persuade by investing more in whatever someone, Pirlo? Paratici? Ronaldo himself? deems required to improve our/his trajectory???
For me, the major story remains Dybala…
So much of our future, to my reckoning, pivots on whether we push him out, or…retain his services and make him a vital reference point of our aspirations. I fear it will be the former.
Add to the already murky situation, we now find him caught breaking the COVID rules in Italy, and facing a fine and suspension from the club, alongside McKennie and Arthur. This is a very poor move by Dybala. I am less surprised by Mckennie, who is young and mischievous…similar with Arthur, who has been far from the upgrade on Pjanic we had all assumed. In fact, Arthur has proven less valuable the Bosnian even at the tail-end of his career…I care less of those players as neither seem anywhere near the level to seriously build a squad around.
There are of course some asking why these three are punished (by the club) when Ronaldo broke the rules earlier in the season and faced no similar sanction. Yet his position in the hierarchy is well above them all. Perhaps this was in Dybala’s thinking…
Whilst the brazillian was already set to miss more games due to injury, McKennie is needed and Dybala was finally set to return to first team action after what seems a lifetime absent. He should know better, and probably does, yet we have no idea what his relationship truly is with the management. Perhaps Dybala already knows that the club have been trying to sell him off again, and it will make no difference whatsoever whether he returns to play a pivotal role or simply goes through the motions with his professionalism less focused due to anger and contempt.
We have the Derby Della Mole this weekend. Then Napoli in mid-week.
It is impossible to know how we will fare. Plenty of players have been traveling and representing their country during the break from domestic action. Chiellini may be injured yet again or available but prone to staggering back to the infirmary and Bonucci now has the Plague. The timing for McKennie and Dybala to add themselves to the absentees could be better.
All I can hope for is that with Bentancur and Rabiot (who fared well for France of late) the starters, there will be a chance for Fagioli to find some playing time. Yet that depends how we are faring against our cross town rivals in the second half. For despite their precarious position, it’s a derby so expect our opponents to be mightily fired up. Add to this our recent humbling to Benevento. Anything is possible. Nothing is certain.
If we fail to emerge with victory on Sunday, and follow this up dropping more points to Napoli, there is a chance we will be in serious trouble with our mission to secure CL football for next season.
It is imperative that we put the recent failures aside, draw a line of that period ended and a new stage to commence, begin to find momentum and form to end the season in the strongest way possible. For as well as facing Napoli, we also have Atalanta, AC Milan, Sassuolo, Inter to deal with in the league with even the Fiorentina tie of some concern given how they tore us apart in the reverse fixture.
Still I presume we will finish in the top four. Still I have some bizarre belief against all odds that we could go on a winning streak, apply pressure to Inter and who knows what could then happen…
However, my boyish hopes against all reality is confirming are based on Pirlo changing the system. If not, it will be more of the same.
Aside from the football…
Hidden gem in the mega rough of MUSIC>
(I met Blueprint, the first emcee, many moons ago in Brighton, am pleased to have shaken his hand, proffered a rhyme of barely legible scribbles thanking him and Slug and Ant for visiting and sharing their art…He seemed a good man with mad intensity in his powerful glare)
Obscure book of magical value>>>
