Calcio Debate: Do Juve Need To Sign Some Big Names?
For at least six months now the Juventus management have been repeatedly stating that their top priority this summer will be to sign a top class centre midfielder. This has seen the Bianconeri linked to a host of top names around Europe, yet if the latest reports in the Italian press are to be believed, it appears as if the Old Lady will be settling for Sevilla hardman Christian Poulsen.
Considering the fact that Juve are one of the most prestigious clubs in the world, and indeed Italy’s most successful outfit, you can forgive the fans for being just a touch disappointed that having been associated with the likes of Diego, Rafael van der Vaart, Marek Hamsik, Alberto Aquilani, and Xabi Alonso, that the Bianconeri should eventually plump for a rather modest name in Poulsen.
This is not to say that the 28-year-old is a bad player. He has twice been named Danish Player of the Year, and indeed he has more often than not impressed me when I have seen him play. Poulsen is a no-nonsense holding midfielder (just ask Francesco Totti), who has personality, and will not be fazed by what awaits him in Serie A. However is he really the man to plug the hole in Juve’s midfield?
If Poulsen were to be signed, in addition to a top class midfielder, then I for one would be all for his purchase, as he would add good squad depth. Whether this proves to be the case remains to be seen. If Poulsen proves to be Juve’s only acquisition in this area, then the transfer directors are making another huge blunder. Ask yourself if you can honestly see a centre midfield of Poulsen and Sissoko leading the club to Serie A or Champions League glory. It seems highly unlikely.
The problem with the new Juve management is that rather than spend their entire budget on two or three guaranteed top class players, they would rather even out the funds on six or seven 'good’ players. This kind of policy is a recipe for disaster at a big club like La Vecchia Signora.
The biggest myth about last summer’s transfer campaign is that Juve did not have the money available in order for them to immediately compete for the Scudetto. In truth, the Bianconeri comfortably outspent their rivals, bringing in a whole host of 'good’, but not 'great’, players. Indeed they thrashed out a whopping €43m just on Vincenzo Iaquinta, Sergio Almiron, Tiago Mendes and Jorge Andrade.
Rather than spread out this vast sum of cash on four players, it would have been far more beneficial to blow the entire €43m on two cast-iron top class stars. Had they done this, I am certain that Juve would have been there or thereabouts in the Scudetto race. The squad was already big enough to cope with injuries, and none of these four players, with the exception of Iaquinta, played any serious part in the first team. As it turned out, it was largely the old guard of Buffon, Camoranesi, Nedved, Del Piero and Trezeguet, as well as another player from the old regime, Chiellini, who carried the team last season.
If Juve learn from their mistakes from last summer, they will realise that they are better off spending big on one or two names, rather than going for four or five cheaper options. Alessio Secco has splashed out on one player, Amauri, unfortunately it is an area that Juve were already well stacked in. It is quite clear that the areas that need to be addressed are centre back, left back and centre midfield.
Of course spending vast sums of money never guarantees success, and indeed the secret behind Luciano Moggi’s achievements was that he was a shrewd market operator, who always knew a bargain when he saw one.
Having said this though, the current management need to realise that the only way the club are going to become, as Amauri said yesterday, the “Kings of Italy and Europe again”, is if they buy some top stars. The only world renowned names Juve have now are all over 30, and are in the twilight of their career. Apart from Buffon, within a couple of years or so they will all be gone.
What are your views on this topic? Do Juve need to start signing some big names? Is Poulsen really the player to fill the gap in the centre of midfield? Are the Juve management making the same mistakes they made last year? Goal.com wants to know what YOU think…
Buy on AliExpress.com
