As the middle point of January approaches, Juventus director Beppe Marotta finds himself in a fairly new position. Following what seemed like three years of successful and intelligent transfer strategy, Marotta and company look to have stalled in their more recent transactions. The gaping hole in the quality of midfielders following the departure of Paul Pogba combined with the missed opportunities to seal the deal for Blaise Matuidi or Axel Witsel, have left Bianconeri coach Max Allegri with a limited pool of top notch players. 

 

Miralem Pjanic’s arrival in the summer was hoped to have solidified the middle of the field for the Old Lady, but as of yet (and even with the return of Claudio Marchisio) the spark that burned in the black and white via Vidal and Pogba has dwindled. Add to that the inability to secure an attractive deal for Hernanes and the departure of youthful Mario Lemina to the AFCON(Africa Cup of Nations), and it becomes more apparent how Marotta is struggling to find what his club needs. The incoming Tomas Rincon from Genoa will silence any immediate questions, but appears to be more of a bandage than a solution. At this moment, it even seems like selling Roberto Pereyra to Watford was perhaps not the best decision considering the failure to acquire Matuidi or Witsel. 

 

Meanwhile on the defensive side of the squad, Marotta and company have little room for error. Medhi Benatia has also departed for the AFCON, and Dani Alves and Alex Sandro are both injured. With Kwadwo Asamoah filling in as a left sided full or wing back (where he played for Conte for three years), it appears that the truth to Patrice Evra’s departure could be validated. The Juventus faithful do have to tip their hats to Asamoah, who chose not to represent Ghana in the AFCON to stay and help his club. Recent rumours surrounding Bosnian Sead Kolasinac heading to Juve from Schalke have emerged should Evra move immediately. Marotta did manage to capture one of Serie A’s greatest young prospects in Mattia Caldara from Atalanta (with perhaps Riccardo Orsolini from Ascoli also heading to Turin), but both players will remain with their respective teams for the remainder of the current campaign. 

 

The usual response from most of the Juventus upper management when asked about incoming players, is that they are always looking to improve the squad. While no one can argue that bringing in Dani Alves, Benatia, Pjanic, and Higuain definitely did improve the squad; one has to ask how the team has, or will be improved, by the end of the January transfer window. While it is true that most high profile transfers do not occur during January, it’s also true that the squad put together in August looks ill prepared to dominate matches the way they did with Pogba and Vidal. How well they do on the market in the next two weeks, could very well dictate how far they can advance in the Champions League. And for a team prepared to splash €90 million for Higuain, it seems like they would be willing to repeat that feat to guarantee a stronger midfield. 



David Baleno