There can be no denying that the 2022/23 season was a disaster for Juventus, both on and off the field. In the boardroom, several financial irregularities saw the club docked 15 points amidst the biggest football scandal Italy has seen since Calciopoli. On the pitch, things weren’t much better.
The points deduction saw the Bianconeri finish way down in seventh place in Serie A, good enough for UEFA Europa Conference League football next term. Had the points never been docked, Max Allegri’s men would have finished as runners-up to eventual champions Napoli. In the end, however, the authorities made their presence felt.
Despite the deduction, however, the Old Lady of Italian football still had the chance to secure a spot at European football’s most elite dining tables last term. Juventus have been responsible for some of the best moments in Champions League history, with Mario Mandžukić’s stunning overhead kick against Real Madrid in the 2017 final immediately springing to mind. But they won’t feature in the illustrious competition next season unfortunately thanks to a UEFA Europa League semifinal exit at the hands of tournament specialists Sevilla.
But with the club falling down to the third tier of European competition next season and with plenty of aging players on their way out, now is the perfect time for Allegri to rebuild his squad, just as he has done before. Restoring Juventus to their former glories won’t be an easy task, but perhaps these potential transfers may well transform the club’s fortunes.
Christian Pulisic
If Juventus had a disappointing campaign by their lofty standards last term, then English side Chelsea simply capitulated. Following a disastrous season in which the club went through four managers and spent an eye-watering £600m on new additions since last summer, the Blues could only manage a 12th-place finish in the Premier League. Add to that embarrassing third-round exits in both domestic competitions and a humbling 4-0 aggregate defeat to Real Madrid in the Champions League, and the season can be summarized as depressing to everyone connected to Stamford Bridge.
The recent influx of new signings at the club has seen several of their biggest names suddenly become available. One of those players is Captain America himself, Christian Pulisic. The United States national team captain has been one of the brightest talents on the continent ever since he burst onto the scene with Borussia Dortmund back in the summer of 2019.
However, last season he found himself out of favour in West London and he saw his role within the squad reduced to that of a bit-part player. As such, he has made his intentions to leave clear, and he will do so with a cut-price asking price of just €25m. The 57-time USMNT international is still just 24 years of age and has plenty of potential suitors including Juve’s rivals AC Milan. However, with a number of players expected to be removed from the Allianz Stadium wage bill this summer, a move to Turin may very well be on the cards.
Folarin Balogun
When Dušan Vlahović arrived in Turin last January for a whopping €80m, it seemed like the Bianconeri had found the answer to their striking woes. The Serbian powerhouse had just netted 23 goals in all competitions for Fiorentina in just six months and he had become perhaps the most coveted striker in all of European football. The Bianconeri eventually won the race for his signature, and it looked as though those expectations were about to be proven right.
The former Partisan Belgrade youngster netted four goals in his first four games in Turin, and the future looked incredibly bright. However, since then, the goals began to dry up. He went on to score another four goals throughout the final 11 games of last season, and the recently finished campaign continued in a similar vein.
Vlahović netted just ten goals in the league last season, a paltry return for someone of his immense quality. He scored just four goals between February and the end of the season in June and with both Moise Kean and Alvaro Morata unable to fire, Allegri’s hand has been forced. In turn, he may well turn to another of Europe’s bright young talents Folarin Balogun.
The former Arsenal youngster has seen his stock rise considerably following a yearlong loan deal with French side Reims. Under the tutelage of the already iconic Will Still, the newly capped United States star netted 21 goals in Ligue 1 last season, the fifth best in the entire country. The 21-year-old will return to Arsenal this summer however, with Gabriel Jesus and the new addition of Kai Havertz going toe-to-toe for a starting eleven birth next term, Balogun may well be allowed to move on.
It is thought that a fee of €25m may be enough to tempt Mikel Arteta to part ways with his young prodigy. And that is a fee that Allegri will only be too happy to pay if he is to find a new goal scorer for his misfiring Bianconeri.
