Juventus could complete the signing of Ezequiel Garay within the next seven days according to reports from Argentina.
The Valencia centre-back was linked to the Bianconeri for several weeks now since Leonardo Bonucci’s departure to Milan, and he emerged as the front runner from a shortlist that included Lazio’s Stefan De Vrij.
The 30-year-old Argentine international was previously linked with a return to Russia where he spent two years of his career, however it’s reported he declined the move for family reasons.
VarskySports in Argentina report that the Bianconeri are on the verge of completing a deal for Garay which could be concluded by the end of the coming week.
Valencia’s signing of Jeison Murillo from Inter on a two-year loan is believed to be an indicator that Garay could leave the club, given the strong relations between Juve and the Spanish side.
Garay enjoyed successful spells at Real Madrid, Racing Santander, Benfica and Zenit St.Petersburg, notching up an impressive 37 goals in 374 appearances.
We need a RWB more urgently than a CB. We already have quality in Chiellini, Rugani, Barzagli and Benatia. Litchsteiner and De Sceglie not good enough. Caldara and Spinazzola will hopefully return next summer with the latter possibly returning this year? Juve should snap up Keita but they are not willing to pay 30 mill when they can get him for free next year. Will be an interesting week ahead.
Pretty sure Spinazzola will get finalized this week.
Spinazzola might become our savior if he can play as RWB/RB better than De Sciglio or Lichtsteiner.
Hopefully we get him back. Atalanta is playing hard ball.
Atalanta are to contest uefa Cup this season. They are not playing hard. They can’t dismantle a squad.
Experience is great, but another 30+ yr old? That just means another player turnover in a couple of years maximum. Mid-career Beppe, mid-career…..
Instead of Tolisso we got Matuidi, instead of Cancelo we got Mattia De Sciglio and instead of Van Dijk, it is Garay who comes as a replacement for Bonucci, one of the top defenders in the world. Schick heart problems was a farse and there is no solid backup for Higuain. What brings even more concern is, that more than a half of first team is on the other side of 30 and there will be an aging squad problem soon. Beppe, I hope you know what you are doing.
Instead of Tolisso and Shick we got bernandeschi and Costa, I don’t think we can complain with that mate. Tolisso was good but I don’t think he was the type of player to take us to the next level, none of the ones I mentioned are. Costa can dominate games but he is rather streaky, if allegri can get the best out of him remains to be seen. Also, I much rather see Kean get playing time, in all the games he’s been given minutes in have yielded solid results. When I see him in preseason I couldn’t believe a 17 year old would be this good against grown men. Your point on defensive side is spot on, whether De Sciglio rise above mediocrity remains to be seen. I’ve yet to see a game where I can say wow Mattia has impressed me, the popular opinion is that Allegri can get the best out of him but there’s only so much you can get out of a mediocre player. Rugani is finally solidifying his post and I welcome it. We strengthen on the offensive side but weakened defensively. I am a hugeee fan of Cancelo but inter gave up Kondogbia, Murrilo plus $15 million for him. That is honestly way too much in my opinion and Kondogbia is exactly the player we needed it to fill the void. In modern soccer terms 30 years old is really not that old anymore, players have at least another 3-4 years left. I am bit annoyed that Caldara wasn’t recalled and Spinazola is still a question mark but if Spinazzola is recalled then I have no worries.
We both point towards the same conclusion, that none of the new players can bring us to the next level. I go a little bit further and say, that some of them are most likely downgrades, not upgrades over last year starting eleven. Such an example is getting Garay to replace Bonucci. Garay is perhaps a decent defender when in form, but Bonucci is a world-class one. Dani Alves didn’t show his best at Juventus, but Mattia DS can’t play anywhere near that level. He can still develop, yes, but won’t suddenly become energetic full-back with great acceleration, deadly crosses and fearsome dribbling skills. Lichtsteiner is a quiet co-author of Juve return to glory in past years, but he won’t play better because of his age. I hope that either Costa or Bernardeschi will give us new quality on the wings. On the other hand Bayern let Costa go, because after his injury he haven’t played up to the expectations anymore. Therefore loaning him was a smart move, but I can’t find information if we have option or obligation to buy him out. Berna is undeniably talented player, but if he can play at the highest level it is yet to be seen.
Marotta proved to have a sense for new signings over the years without overspending. I’m simply afraid that this year quantity won over quality. We need more quality to be able to win in Champions League against teams like Real Madrid. We had a deal for Cancelo at 25mln, we got almost that much for Lemina himself. I don’t know how much we will pay for Garay, but De Vrij wouldn’t be much more expensive with one year left on his contract. De Vrij still has time to develop beyond already decent level. Van Dijk is a type of player that makes a difference on a field, but in his case money indeed might have been a problem. We even could have gotten Kostas Manolas for the same amount Bonucci was sold. I’m really curious how Davinson Sanchez will handle himself in Tottenham. He seems like a great prospect and costed Spurs 42mln. To sum up, we end up with a lot of defenders, but besides Rugani all of them are thirty-something and not at Bonucci level at the moment being.
It is dangerous to have so many players older than 30, because at some point they will have to be replaced and it’s hard to replace half of the team at once. Some players can still play great towards the end of their career, but it really depends from the player himself and position on the pitch. Chiellini is still good, but not as good as couple years ago. Will Barzagli or Lichtsteiner improve further and give us quality we need? Of course not. I have similar concerns regarding Garay, Benatia and Matuidi. Well, Khedira, Marchisio and Mandzukic are getting older too.
All the hope in young players then. I sincerely hope Rugani, Bentancur, Bernardeschi and Kean will soon enough become important parts of first team. Indeed, observing Kean playing shamelessly, when he is only 17 is a thriving experience.
Wtf! What is wrong with Beppe and Co? I must admit that Costa and Bernadeschi and Matuidi where fine pieces of business, but lets not throw that away buy bringing in mediocare and average players! We already bought DeSciglio THAT IS ENOUGH MEDIOCRITY! we dont need a Mediocre CB, If it isn’t VVD, Koulibaly, or somone considerably better than Rugani IE: LAporte, Manolas etc… then there is no need for Garay RUGANI IS FINE!
We don’t need another defender as we can’t defend with the current squad. Others need to defend against us!! 🙂