Signed some pacey wingers and fullbacks, a flashy striker and a nice guy from Canada.
10/10 Mercato.
10/10 Mercato.
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Summer mercato vote (15 Viewers)
- Thread starter Mark
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First a quick recap:
Before Luiz left, a financial journalist mentioned that the net effect of all dealings on the P&L was +3m. Luiz loan fee + the salary saved is a positive effect of ~12. Nico positive effect is ~6m (loan fee plus gross salary). Savona pluvulenza and wages amount to around 14m. Small positive of Djalo (~1m) means the net effect was +33m in addition to that +3m which means around +36m.
Openda will cost us 11m (loan fee + salary) and Zhegrova will cost us 8.5m (amortization + gross salary).
The net effect of the whole mercato is +16m. Much of this is necessary after the big losses incurred in the FY24 financial year when we were excluded from European competition. Our revenues will be up a lot in FY25 due to the champions league and club world cup (we already booked a profit for the 1st half of FY25).
So assessing the mercato cannot ignore this fact. Which is important.
Overall I think the squad is stronger in attack. Openda is a downgrade on Muani but when you add David and Zhegrova, (over the likes of Weah, Mbanula & Nico), the forward line is better overall. So an improvement in attack. Central Defence and Central Midfield saw almost no change - albeit slightly weaker with the departure of Luiz (although its not much a delta given Luiz hardly played last year. Bremer & Cabal returning will help although this has nothing to do with the mercato as such.
Overall given the financial limitations, I give it a solid 7.5.
The obvious area we are lacking in terms of depth is wing back. But the thing that this team REALLY needs to move up to the next level is an upgrade on Kelly in my view.
Next year, Vlahovic will leave - his amortization and gross salary is going to save us over EU40m from FY26. I would like to see most of that reinvested in defence and wing back - especially the former as things stand. I feel that is the biggest area of improvement for the first team. Also McKennie's conrtact will expire so that would be an opportunity to get an industrious central midfielder.
This team can trouble any defence in Serie A or Europe for that matter with our attacking options. The key area of weakness is how this team's defence will cope with top level teams who try to attack us. My hope is that somehow, Tudor can improve Kelly (and keep Bremer healthy) - because if he steps up another level - that would be a huge factor in determining how successful this team will perform.
Before Luiz left, a financial journalist mentioned that the net effect of all dealings on the P&L was +3m. Luiz loan fee + the salary saved is a positive effect of ~12. Nico positive effect is ~6m (loan fee plus gross salary). Savona pluvulenza and wages amount to around 14m. Small positive of Djalo (~1m) means the net effect was +33m in addition to that +3m which means around +36m.
Openda will cost us 11m (loan fee + salary) and Zhegrova will cost us 8.5m (amortization + gross salary).
The net effect of the whole mercato is +16m. Much of this is necessary after the big losses incurred in the FY24 financial year when we were excluded from European competition. Our revenues will be up a lot in FY25 due to the champions league and club world cup (we already booked a profit for the 1st half of FY25).
So assessing the mercato cannot ignore this fact. Which is important.
Overall I think the squad is stronger in attack. Openda is a downgrade on Muani but when you add David and Zhegrova, (over the likes of Weah, Mbanula & Nico), the forward line is better overall. So an improvement in attack. Central Defence and Central Midfield saw almost no change - albeit slightly weaker with the departure of Luiz (although its not much a delta given Luiz hardly played last year. Bremer & Cabal returning will help although this has nothing to do with the mercato as such.
Overall given the financial limitations, I give it a solid 7.5.
The obvious area we are lacking in terms of depth is wing back. But the thing that this team REALLY needs to move up to the next level is an upgrade on Kelly in my view.
Next year, Vlahovic will leave - his amortization and gross salary is going to save us over EU40m from FY26. I would like to see most of that reinvested in defence and wing back - especially the former as things stand. I feel that is the biggest area of improvement for the first team. Also McKennie's conrtact will expire so that would be an opportunity to get an industrious central midfielder.
This team can trouble any defence in Serie A or Europe for that matter with our attacking options. The key area of weakness is how this team's defence will cope with top level teams who try to attack us. My hope is that somehow, Tudor can improve Kelly (and keep Bremer healthy) - because if he steps up another level - that would be a huge factor in determining how successful this team will perform.
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Given our financial restrictions, long list of flops/surplus to requirements players that needed offloading and all of the upper management changes that basically saw a bunch of new directors overseeing our whole mercatto on very short notice i’ll try to be positive about everything and give it a 6/10 with all of this surrounding circumstances considered.
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There’s no denying this mercatto is an incomplete one, both in terms of incoming transfers as well as exits, but could have easily been an even more underwhelming one, so it is what it is, then again we’ll have the winter mercatto to further evaluate and hopefully make some more adjustments.
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There’s no denying this mercatto is an incomplete one, both in terms of incoming transfers as well as exits, but could have easily been an even more underwhelming one, so it is what it is, then again we’ll have the winter mercatto to further evaluate and hopefully make some more adjustments.
The good - We made some good signings, players with potential. We also have Bremer back so even if the defense is not 100% like I want it should still be a lot better.
The bad - Defense - Bremer is like a 9 while Gatti and Kelly are 6 on a good day, Cambiasso is good but defensively he is also a 6, J.Mario - still undecided about his defensive output (He seemed to make a crucial error in our last game but he did recover and made up to it.)
Locatelli is definitely first choice - I actually rate him more than some of you but I still think we could and should look for an upgrade.
Overall - We made some good moves 8.5, we didnt improve our defense 4.5 - 6.5 my rating
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Are you sure he is nice though?
https://www.juventuz.com/attachments/1754483380170-png.123156/
The bad - Defense - Bremer is like a 9 while Gatti and Kelly are 6 on a good day, Cambiasso is good but defensively he is also a 6, J.Mario - still undecided about his defensive output (He seemed to make a crucial error in our last game but he did recover and made up to it.)
Locatelli is definitely first choice - I actually rate him more than some of you but I still think we could and should look for an upgrade.
Overall - We made some good moves 8.5, we didnt improve our defense 4.5 - 6.5 my rating
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Are you sure he is nice though?
https://www.juventuz.com/attachments/1754483380170-png.123156/
I still don't see any plan in place.
Except for selling young players with potential for low amounts, that is.
It looks like we're set to play a formation that relies on wingbacks. We have 0 of them for the right side. And I'm not too crazy about our options on the left either, unless Cambiaso somehow recovers his earlier form.
We overpaid for Conceicao, the numbers for Openda are a bit steep for me as well, Joao Mario looks like another random player that will be shipped out in 6 to 12 months, while Zhegrova is probably going to be our token injured player.
There are, of course, some positives as well: shipping out Douglas Luiz & Nico Gonzalez is excellent work. And I'm fine with the finances behind it as well, since both players are worth about €0 in my book. The Weah deal wasn't bad either.
Jonathan David should be a low risk deal. Sensible transfer for me.
The return of Miretti & Rugani makes sense as well.
Other positive: none of our better players left.
Overall, just like last season, we're basically 2 or 3 injuries away from collapsing. But simply not having Motta at the helm is going to be a major plus.
5/10
Except for selling young players with potential for low amounts, that is.
It looks like we're set to play a formation that relies on wingbacks. We have 0 of them for the right side. And I'm not too crazy about our options on the left either, unless Cambiaso somehow recovers his earlier form.
We overpaid for Conceicao, the numbers for Openda are a bit steep for me as well, Joao Mario looks like another random player that will be shipped out in 6 to 12 months, while Zhegrova is probably going to be our token injured player.
There are, of course, some positives as well: shipping out Douglas Luiz & Nico Gonzalez is excellent work. And I'm fine with the finances behind it as well, since both players are worth about €0 in my book. The Weah deal wasn't bad either.
Jonathan David should be a low risk deal. Sensible transfer for me.
The return of Miretti & Rugani makes sense as well.
Other positive: none of our better players left.
Overall, just like last season, we're basically 2 or 3 injuries away from collapsing. But simply not having Motta at the helm is going to be a major plus.
5/10
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Interesting final day. Openda coming out of nowhere is a nice surprise. It's a player we all know from the game against Leipzig last year (best Juve game of the season). That's all I have ever seen of Openda but I liked the mentality he had in that game. I remember thinking this guy is a beast. And a bit of an asshole.. But it's good to have that in our team: he offers something different than Yildiz or whoever he is meant to rotate with. With the addition of both Openda and Zhegrova I actually think we have options to switch things around if needed and play a 4231 formation with Openda LW, Yildiz AM, Zhegrova/Conceicao RW and then David or Vlahovic ST.
Zhegrova is a player that makes me think of Eden Hazard: he makes football look sexy with his dribbles and sometimes world class actions. But is he also injury prone and unavailable when needed? At €14m I think we got him for a very good price, even if he was in his final year of contract with Lille. Super interesting how Zhegrova and David could both add to their quality and grow together here as well.
We clearly decided to invest in the attack and not wingbacks. We are a Cambiaso or Mario injury away from a point where the 343 formation simply doesnt make sense. Kostic might be an option but he had already left and I dont know if its wise to loop him back in.
Thuram, Locatelli, Koopmeiners, McKennie, Miretti and Adzic in midfield? Not bad to be honest. If Koopmeiners start playing like his Atalanta days I think this midfield is solid enough.
I want Kelly to prove me wrong. Until Cabal is back I see him getting his chance to prove why he was picked by Giuntoli and Motta. I think he is hated more for his passport than his performances on the field. With Bremer next to him and Kalulu and Gatti we have at least three names in the defense that are good enough for now. Maybe we will add a player in January depending on how Cabal returns.
I would have liked to see us cash in on Vlahovic but he is starting to look like an angry version of himself that actually has something to prove. Maybe the beast is still in there? Maybe the angry Vlahovic is the best Vlahovic we have seen in this shirt? He looks dead serious and even if it's a financial disaster to keep him it, he might as well be of use.
Overall I say we have the best looking attack in Serie A. Yildiz, Conceicao, Openda, Zhegrova, David, Vlahovic.
A bit of a weird mercato. But I loved how we invested in foreign leagues and not Serie A. The attack is the priority and we have a very strong one. 7.5/10 mercato. 8.5/10 rating to Comolli.
Zhegrova is a player that makes me think of Eden Hazard: he makes football look sexy with his dribbles and sometimes world class actions. But is he also injury prone and unavailable when needed? At €14m I think we got him for a very good price, even if he was in his final year of contract with Lille. Super interesting how Zhegrova and David could both add to their quality and grow together here as well.
We clearly decided to invest in the attack and not wingbacks. We are a Cambiaso or Mario injury away from a point where the 343 formation simply doesnt make sense. Kostic might be an option but he had already left and I dont know if its wise to loop him back in.
Thuram, Locatelli, Koopmeiners, McKennie, Miretti and Adzic in midfield? Not bad to be honest. If Koopmeiners start playing like his Atalanta days I think this midfield is solid enough.
I want Kelly to prove me wrong. Until Cabal is back I see him getting his chance to prove why he was picked by Giuntoli and Motta. I think he is hated more for his passport than his performances on the field. With Bremer next to him and Kalulu and Gatti we have at least three names in the defense that are good enough for now. Maybe we will add a player in January depending on how Cabal returns.
I would have liked to see us cash in on Vlahovic but he is starting to look like an angry version of himself that actually has something to prove. Maybe the beast is still in there? Maybe the angry Vlahovic is the best Vlahovic we have seen in this shirt? He looks dead serious and even if it's a financial disaster to keep him it, he might as well be of use.
Overall I say we have the best looking attack in Serie A. Yildiz, Conceicao, Openda, Zhegrova, David, Vlahovic.
A bit of a weird mercato. But I loved how we invested in foreign leagues and not Serie A. The attack is the priority and we have a very strong one. 7.5/10 mercato. 8.5/10 rating to Comolli.
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Too much emphasis on deadwood players from the previous management -- which did have to be addressed. I just don't see enough here that advances the club any more than it just keeps us running in place, hoping that our fingernails are long enough to grab fourth place again this season.
Yes, the budget isn't what is used to be. But, by the same token, neither is our mercato.
Yes, the budget isn't what is used to be. But, by the same token, neither is our mercato.
As long as this club is starting Locatelli and Gatti, I can’t rate this mercato more than a 2/10.
We’ve loaned out Douglas and Nico, no obligations. Risky stuff, if they come back next season we’ve got the same problem on our hands and then they’ll be coming off 2 bad seasons
I never saw the point of selling Weah, especially when you consider we only have 3 fullbacks with only Cambiaso being decent enough
Savona deal made me angry.
Openda is a market opportunity I guess. Can play LW as well
all in all, I don’t think we’ve improved much. Fortunately for us only Roma improved and Atalanta are in a bad situation. I’d say top 2 are Napoli and Inter, the other two spots will be between us, Roma and Milan. I do think our side is slightly better than Milan and Roma so a 3rd place could be possible. Maybe with injuries and suspensions and some bad luck 4th
We’ve loaned out Douglas and Nico, no obligations. Risky stuff, if they come back next season we’ve got the same problem on our hands and then they’ll be coming off 2 bad seasons
I never saw the point of selling Weah, especially when you consider we only have 3 fullbacks with only Cambiaso being decent enough
Savona deal made me angry.
Openda is a market opportunity I guess. Can play LW as well
all in all, I don’t think we’ve improved much. Fortunately for us only Roma improved and Atalanta are in a bad situation. I’d say top 2 are Napoli and Inter, the other two spots will be between us, Roma and Milan. I do think our side is slightly better than Milan and Roma so a 3rd place could be possible. Maybe with injuries and suspensions and some bad luck 4th
Interesting final day. Openda coming out of nowhere is a nice surprise. It's a player we all know from the game against Leipzig last year (best Juve game of the season). That's all I have ever seen of Openda but I liked the mentality he had in that game. I remember thinking this guy is a beast. And a bit of an asshole.. But it's good to have that in our team: he offers something different than Yildiz or whoever he is meant to rotate with. With the addition of both Openda and Zhegrova I actually think we have options to switch things around if needed and play a 4231 formation with Openda LW, Yildiz AM, Zhegrova/Conceicao RW and then David or Vlahovic ST.
Zhegrova is a player that makes me think of Eden Hazard: he makes football look sexy with his dribbles and sometimes world class actions. But is he also injury prone and unavailable when needed? At €14m I think we got him for a very good price, even if he was in his final year of contract with Lille. Super interesting how Zhegrova and David could both add to their quality and grow together here as well.
We clearly decided to invest in the attack and not wingbacks. We are a Cambiaso or Mario injury away from a point where the 343 formation simply doesnt make sense. Kostic might be an option but he had already left and I dont know if its wise to loop him back in.
Thuram, Locatelli, Koopmeiners, McKennie, Miretti and Adzic in midfield? Not bad to be honest. If Koopmeiners start playing like his Atalanta days I think this midfield is solid enough.
I want Kelly to prove me wrong. Until Cabal is back I see him getting his chance to prove why he was picked by Giuntoli and Motta. I think he is hated more for his passport than his performances on the field. With Bremer next to him and Kalulu and Gatti we have at least three names in the defense that are good enough for now. Maybe we will add a player in January depending on how Cabal returns.
I would have liked to see us cash in on Vlahovic but he is starting to look like an angry version of himself that actually has something to prove. Maybe the beast is still in there? Maybe the angry Vlahovic is the best Vlahovic we have seen in this shirt? He looks dead serious and even if it's a financial disaster to keep him it, he might as well be of use.
Overall I say we have the best looking attack in Serie A. Yildiz, Conceicao, Openda, Zhegrova, David, Vlahovic.
A bit of a weird mercato. But I loved how we invested in foreign leagues and not Serie A. The attack is the priority and we have a very strong one. 7.5/10 mercato. 8.5/10 rating to Comolli.
Zhegrova is a player that makes me think of Eden Hazard: he makes football look sexy with his dribbles and sometimes world class actions. But is he also injury prone and unavailable when needed? At €14m I think we got him for a very good price, even if he was in his final year of contract with Lille. Super interesting how Zhegrova and David could both add to their quality and grow together here as well.
We clearly decided to invest in the attack and not wingbacks. We are a Cambiaso or Mario injury away from a point where the 343 formation simply doesnt make sense. Kostic might be an option but he had already left and I dont know if its wise to loop him back in.
Thuram, Locatelli, Koopmeiners, McKennie, Miretti and Adzic in midfield? Not bad to be honest. If Koopmeiners start playing like his Atalanta days I think this midfield is solid enough.
I want Kelly to prove me wrong. Until Cabal is back I see him getting his chance to prove why he was picked by Giuntoli and Motta. I think he is hated more for his passport than his performances on the field. With Bremer next to him and Kalulu and Gatti we have at least three names in the defense that are good enough for now. Maybe we will add a player in January depending on how Cabal returns.
I would have liked to see us cash in on Vlahovic but he is starting to look like an angry version of himself that actually has something to prove. Maybe the beast is still in there? Maybe the angry Vlahovic is the best Vlahovic we have seen in this shirt? He looks dead serious and even if it's a financial disaster to keep him it, he might as well be of use.
Overall I say we have the best looking attack in Serie A. Yildiz, Conceicao, Openda, Zhegrova, David, Vlahovic.
A bit of a weird mercato. But I loved how we invested in foreign leagues and not Serie A. The attack is the priority and we have a very strong one. 7.5/10 mercato. 8.5/10 rating to Comolli.
EDIT: To clarify, I meant 4231 against e.g. Genoa and 433 against Inter.
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i rated last summer's mercato a 7 and it was considered a low grade back then. i wouldn't change my rating, i still feel that most of those signings made sense back in the day. the fact that both nico and douglas luiz turned out to be absolute flops and koop also underperformed heavily are on the club too. giuntoli proved to be an asshole, and an asshole can't create a non toxic environment. that matters a lot. no wonder danilo's agent literally called guintoli's jj a bullshit project.
in hindsight i wouldn't sing nico and keep soulé, and of course i wouldn't sell huijsen. the latter was a huge, incredible mistake that i was unable to predict. i still think last season's mercato wasn't bad at all. giuntoli and motta were incompetent and not ready for juventus though.
i trust tudor a bit more than motta. he looks like a calm, strong leader. i don't see him panicking, i see him as a communicator. bad picks will happen, but i don't think he'll ever throw his squad under the bus. so i expect players to perform a bit closer to their true potential.
now, onto this summer mercato... it's a mixed bag, isn't it.
the good: attack has been upgraded. we kept our best players, and bremer is back. the sample size is very small with joao mario, but he looks like a decent wingback. we finally have some quick players other than chico. squad cost is tolerable, probably complies with ffp restrictions. no money went to serie a clubs.
the bad: openda is expensive, zhegrova isn't cheap either. wingback positions look thin. no upgrade on kelly, gatti, and locatelli still looks like a starter. only one true 9 and he's a moody bitch. randy's return would have been nice. a half-baked squad for 3-4-2-1, would be a slightly better fit for 4-2-3-1.
i should join danielsz and rate it next may lol. here it is anyway: a massive 5.5
in hindsight i wouldn't sing nico and keep soulé, and of course i wouldn't sell huijsen. the latter was a huge, incredible mistake that i was unable to predict. i still think last season's mercato wasn't bad at all. giuntoli and motta were incompetent and not ready for juventus though.
i trust tudor a bit more than motta. he looks like a calm, strong leader. i don't see him panicking, i see him as a communicator. bad picks will happen, but i don't think he'll ever throw his squad under the bus. so i expect players to perform a bit closer to their true potential.
now, onto this summer mercato... it's a mixed bag, isn't it.
the good: attack has been upgraded. we kept our best players, and bremer is back. the sample size is very small with joao mario, but he looks like a decent wingback. we finally have some quick players other than chico. squad cost is tolerable, probably complies with ffp restrictions. no money went to serie a clubs.
the bad: openda is expensive, zhegrova isn't cheap either. wingback positions look thin. no upgrade on kelly, gatti, and locatelli still looks like a starter. only one true 9 and he's a moody bitch. randy's return would have been nice. a half-baked squad for 3-4-2-1, would be a slightly better fit for 4-2-3-1.
i should join danielsz and rate it next may lol. here it is anyway: a massive 5.5
You seem fixated on the narrative of number of goals conceded = the strength of the defence.
Context is important. Having watched the dross we played last season, my brain and eyes told me that we conceded very few goals because we played hopeless sterile possession football, tapping it side to side. Most opposition teams were happy to just sit back and watch it under minimal threat of conceding a goal whilst the scoreline often being level or within 1 goal, as evidenced by the number of drawn games last season.
Rugani hasn’t magically becoming a great defender from his loan spell. He is still the same turd in the bowl that won’t flush.
Gatti is inconsistent, Kelly is shit, Cabal and Bremer are returning from big injuries last season and we are playing a system depending on wing backs, where we are woefully short.
This mercato can’t be anything more than a 4. The squad is poorly assembled, we haven’t bought any guarantees, they are all relative unknowns at this level and we are keeping a striker on a ridiculous salary, having to play him whilst seeing out his contract to leave on a free.
Context is important. Having watched the dross we played last season, my brain and eyes told me that we conceded very few goals because we played hopeless sterile possession football, tapping it side to side. Most opposition teams were happy to just sit back and watch it under minimal threat of conceding a goal whilst the scoreline often being level or within 1 goal, as evidenced by the number of drawn games last season.
Rugani hasn’t magically becoming a great defender from his loan spell. He is still the same turd in the bowl that won’t flush.
Gatti is inconsistent, Kelly is shit, Cabal and Bremer are returning from big injuries last season and we are playing a system depending on wing backs, where we are woefully short.
This mercato can’t be anything more than a 4. The squad is poorly assembled, we haven’t bought any guarantees, they are all relative unknowns at this level and we are keeping a striker on a ridiculous salary, having to play him whilst seeing out his contract to leave on a free.
Im not sure if pace will come to much use (especially in league), as teams will park their bus. What is nice, however, is the unpredictability, it will allow us to get past a man, make that pass or earn a free kick. The latter unfortunately, I dont see us capitalising on with our aerial height and now that we've just bought two midgets.