With the rumour mill churning out new stories every day, we cast discerning eye over the players Juventus have been linked with, starting with Wesley Sneijder.

I should point out that what follows is personal opinion and an honest assessment based on what I’ve read, rather than any claim to ‘inside knowledge’. As most readers will know, the Italian dailies are almost as bad as UK papers when it comes to ridiculous rumours and while they sometimes get it right, more often than not, they’re off the mark.

First on the list, we’ll begin with a certain Dutch midfielder who is dividing opinion amongst Juventini.

Wesley Sneijder

Max Allegri has been very open about the desire/need for a trequartista in midfield, someone that can make the difference for Juventus by offering us a little more creativity than at present. Talking ahead of the the Derby D’Italia, Allegri referred to Sneijder as a ‘feasible luxury’ while the players agent said “Juventus do want Sneijder.”

What conclusions can you draw from that ? Well as of yesterday, Galatasaray’s Vice President assured reporters that “Sneijder is our player, and he’s happy here.” Over in Italy, however, Gianluca Di Marzio reports that Sneijder’s agent will be meeting with Gala officials about a transfer to Turin.

The bottom line is Juventus need a creative spark on the pitch, especially if Allegri is to persevere with his 4-3-1-2/4-1-2-1-2 formation. Beppe Marotta has done his best to reassure supporters that Juve ‘already have a satisfying squad’ and signing Sneijder would only be done on the clubs terms; In other words, we won’t be paying anything close to the €20m figure that keeps getting mentioned by Galatasaray officials. While the figures change, depending on which paper you read, If Juventus do make a bid, you’d hope it would be somewhere between €8-10m. The first reports that circulated suggested an 18-month contract with the Dutchman earning €4.5m.

On the subject of the player, let’s review the facts. Sneijder will turn 31 this year and is cup-tied so ineligible to play in the Champions League for Juventus. At best, he gives Allegri the option to rotate the squad further, ahead of a very tough set of fixtures running through February to March. He’s technically very gifted, has great vision, a good range of passing, can score goals, likes to shoot from distance and can provide assists for his teammates. Defensively he’s lacking but Juve wouldn’t be buying him to break up attacks or get involved in the dirty work – He may be an option for Allegri as part of the 3 man central midfield but primarily he’d be playing behind the front two as an attacking midfielder.

[Graphic via @SportExtraHD]

 

Likelihood: Juve want the player, but on their terms. Both Allegri and Marotta have been quite vocal about Sneijder and it sounds like he’s a specific target which is a positive.  At this stage, the deal looks like it could go either way. If other clubs are interested and prepared to pay what Gala are asking for, I doubt Juventus would enter into a bidding war, it’s simply not our style. On the other hand, based on the comments from his agent, the player is open to a move and there may not be too many realistic alternatives, other than a return to Italy. Chances ?  60/40 .

Player Verdict: A 30 year old midfielder who can’t play in the Champions League doesn’t exactly excite me as a supporter. If anything, Sneijder looks more of a signing that gives Allegri the chance to rotate the squad and give Juve the extra push for the Scudetto while hoping to progress beyond the last 16 in Europe. What Juve need from Sneijder is quite simple:

1. Consistency –  A quality that only Carlos Tevez and Gianluigi Buffon have offered the team in the first half of the season.

2. Creativity – Sorely lacking in games where Juve have dominated for large spells and still struggled to find that winning goal.

Overall: star03

As always, i’d love to hear your thoughts and opinions on the possibility of Wesley Sneijder at Juventus – Is he a good signing ? Share your thoughts below