Tuesday 29 July, 2008
Blog: Uno, due, Trez
David Trezeguet may have his critics, but Antonio Labbate feels that Juventus just can’t afford to sell him to Barcelona
Every player has his price, but what value would you put on a goal? It’s a question which Juventus may have to ponder in the very near future as the industrious Italian rumour mill continues to insist that Barcelona are interested in signing David Trezeguet.
The Spanish giants, as the story goes, are looking for a bomber after new boss Pep Guardiola – now he knew how to play football – publicly put Samuel Eto’o on the transfer market. While it is openly accepted that Arsenal’s Emmanuel Adebayor was and is their primary target, the former Brescia playmaker seemingly has a soft spot for Trezeguet.
With the Frenchman’s birth certificate confirming that he’ll turn 31 in October, a bid of around £15m, as is being reported, would have to be taken into consideration by the money men in Turin. But it would perhaps be wiser on this occasion to consult the Rouen-native’s scoring statistics because you wouldn’t just be selling a player if you released Trezeguet, you’d be sacrificing a Capocannoniere.
Trezegol’s record speaks for itself. In every Serie A campaign in the Juventus shirt, the former Monaco man has averaged, at worst, a goal in every two games. At his best, he’s gone on the rampage and has bagged 20-plus strikes in three of his seven top-flight campaigns for the Bianconeri so far.
Granted, he’s not the most useful team player in the world and is prone to going missing in action, but there are few better than David in the box. Ignore the opinion of France boss Raymond Domenech who snubbed him for Euro 2008, turn to England Coach Fabio Capello. On his appointment at Juventus in 2004, he immediately vetoed his proposed sale. Not many stood up to the Triade and got their way.
The timing of Barca’s alleged interest also seems very wrong. While the reports snuggly fit into the various Italian sports pages at a time when new boy Amauri is making an impact in pre-season, it would be madness to ponder selling Trezeguet at this stage unless you already have a suitable replacement lined up. The latter seems unlikely under this inexperienced club regime.
Although Trezeguet may be feeling under some pressure following the Brazilian’s gol d’estate – given that it remains to be seen whether they can co-exist – the campaign will be a long one. If the Old Lady seriously want to challenge for major honours this season then they’ll have to put ambition before business, because Trezeguet’s goals have the potential to be priceless.
