Juventus’ guide to the summer transfers

Juventus 2011/12 etched their place in history by completing an extraordinary 38-game unbeaten season and ending their nine-year long wait for the Scudetto. They also boasted the best defensive record of any team across the top leagues in Europe. With the return of Champions League football, Juventus will need to strengthen their squad to remain competitive and Venkat Akella takes a look at a few players who might help Juve’s cause in the 2012/13 season.



Martín Cáceres (Central Defender/ Right back, Aged 25) – Let’s begin with one that’s been wrapped up. The Italian giants confirmed that they’ve take the option to sign Martin Caceres from Sevilla after he impressed the Bianconeri faithful while on loan during the second half of the campaign and the Uruguayan international has put pen to paper on a four-year deal that’ll tie him to the Serie A champions until 2016.


Courtesy of Paul Blank

Luis Suarez (Striker at Liverpool, Aged 25) - Juventus are also now widening their net and that could be a worry for Liverpool as Suarez is on their hit list despite him publicly announcing his intention to remain at Anfield. The Uruguayan striker has had a troubled campaign at Liverpool following controversy both on and off the pitch and a move to the Turin giants might allow him to rebuild his shattered reputation. Meanwhile, Uruguayan defender Caceres recently admitted that Suarez had been in touch regarding a possible move to the Old Lady.

Paul Pogba (Midfielder at Manchester United, Aged 19) – Considered by many as one of the brightest stars in United’s academy, Pogba is a tall, long-legged midfielder with wonderful ability on the ball and a fine range of passing. He has been described by his club as a powerful and creative player with an eye for a goal. Reports from The Guardian indicate that Pogba has turned down a lucrative contract at Old Trafford to join the Italian outfit, his head seemingly turned by his agent and money on offer.

Stevan Jovetic (Second Striker at Fiorentina, Aged 22) – Jovetic plays as a Second striker and his impressive dribbling, close control and hair have drawn comparisons to the legendary Roberto Baggio. Scoring 14 goals in what was dubbed as the worst season for Fiorentina in their recent campaigns, a move away from Viola might just be another step forward in his career. Juventus are thought to be thinking about Jovetic as their heir to Del Piero.


Courtesy of Tutto Sport

Sebastian Giovinco (Attacking Midfielder at Parma, Aged 25) – A product of the Juventus youth system, Giovinco is currently co-owned by Juventus and Parma. He struck rich form at Parma this season, leading the scoring charts with 15 goals and providing 11 assists in the Serie A. With Conte rumoured to be keen admirer of the 25 year old, Juventus look determined to acquire the midfielder’s full economic rights and a move back to Juventus could well be on the cards.

Robin van Persie (Striker at Arsenal, Aged 28) – Robin van Persie turned heads around in Europe after topping the scoring charts in England with 30 league goals in 38 appearances. Juventus are looking to reinforce their forward line with Del Piero departing after spending close to two decades with the club and on-loan Marco Borriello returning to Roma. The Mirror suggests that Arsenal will find it difficult to turn down a bid in excess of £25M.

Serdar Tasci (Defender at VFB Stuttgart, Aged 25) - One of the bright spots in VfB Stuttgart’s Bundesliga campaign, the defender is on the radar of the power houses of Italian football – Juventus. The defender is rumored to have a €15 release clause in his contract and with Juventus keen to bolster their defence; this might just be the perfect match.


Courtesy of Funky Opti

Edin Džeko (Striker at Manchester City, Aged 26) – Dzeko, who cost Manchester City £27M in 2011, has fallen down the pecking order following the return of Carlos Tevez from his self-imposed exile. However, he wrote his name large in Manchester City’s history by equalizing in the second minute of stoppage time in the season defining game against Queens Park Rangers, which was crucial in the title win. With the win, and Mancini now in the market looking for established stars that can help City defend their Premiership crown, Dzeko might be surplus to Mancini’s requirements. A move to the Italian giants Juventus, where he’ll be a regular feature in the starting lineup whilst being involved in the Champions League might be too good a proposition to turn down, but it remains to be seen if Juventus can afford the expensive striker.

Leandro Damião (Striker at Internacional, Aged 22) – Brazilian football is on the rise with a host of young players making a name for themselves both at club level and on the international stage and Leandro is one among them. Already capped at International level, Leandro looks to continue in his predecessor’s steps by making a big money move to Europe. Juventus could be in pole position to sign him for a fee believed to be in the region of €15M. They might face unlikely competition from Tottenham Hotspur, but the chances of rubbing shoulders with Europe’s elite might be too good an opportunity to turn down for the Brazilian.

Edinson Cavani (Striker at Napoli, Aged 25) – Juventus might have one of the best defensive records in leagues across Europe, but their strike force was often found wanting with Matri losing form and focus mid-season. The lack of a top striker among their ranks is a concern with Juve’s midfielders outscoring their strikers this season. Rumours suggest that Juventus are preparing a bid of almost €50M to prize away the Uruguayan star.

The Long Lost Link Between FIAT and Bianconeri

Well, First of FIAT (Fabbrica Italiana Automobili Torino) or (Italian Automobile factory of Turin) is an automobile giant based in Turin. Yes, the same place where the Bianconeri ply their trade in Serie-A.
FIAT was founded in 1899 by Giovanni Agnelli along with a group of investors. His stake in FIAT which he bought for 400 US $ is worth Billions now. History apart, the Agnelli family have taken over the presidency of the Bianconeri in 1923, which constitutes the oldest sporting partnership in Italy, thus making Juventus the first professional club in the country.

Over time, the club has become a symbol of the nation's culture due to their tradition of success, some of which have had a significant impact in Italian society, especially in the 1930s and the first postwar decade and the ideological politics and socio-economic origin of the club's sympathizers. This is reflected, among others, in the club's contribution to the national team, uninterrupted since the second half of 1920s and recognised as one of the most influential in international football, having performed a decisive role in the World Cup triumphs ​​of 1934, 1982 and 2006. The club's fan base is larger than any other Italian football club and is one of the largest world-wide. Support for Juventus is widespread throughout the country and abroad, mainly in countries with a significant presence of Italian immigrants.


The club seems to be progressing well under Andrea Agnelli, the last Agnelli male. Ever since their promotion back to Serie-A, the club has always found the backing of Agnelli family, be it the funds required to build their new stadium or acquisition of new talent. This season, they have financed the deals of Vidal and Vučinić who are quite proving to be decisive in the title chase. Hope Juve win their 30th Scudetto and the 3rd STAR is in the way :D

FORZA JUVENTUS \m/ 

TAKNEV

Dear Pavel

One great player ever to don the colors for Bianconeri celebrates his 39th birthday today.
Ever since 2003, i was a fan of Juventus, knowing the fact that the club has a rich tradition and a great reputation both nationally and internationally. Among the players i grew up watching, Alessandro Dep Piero, David Trezguet,Pavel Nedved and Gianluig Buffon were my favorite players.

Pavel Nedved, arguably the best player to emerge from Czech Republic has won numerous accolades and is a recipient of the prestigious Ballon d'Or in 2003, thereby becoming only the second Czech Republic to win the prestigious accolade. He will be best remembered for his 8 long years he played at Juventus. Being brought to Turin in 2001 as a direct replacement for Zinedine Zidane, he proved to be one of the few players capable of assuming the "trequartista" role of his French predecessor.

Over his time at Turin, he was instrumental in leading Juventus into UCL final against Milan in 2003. He eventually missed the match as he was booked in the semi-finals. However, Nedved won the European Player of the Year. He's one of the very few players who stood by the team when they were relegated in 2005 following Juventus involvement in Calciopoli. He helped them return back to Serie-A and extended his stay till 2008-09 season dispelling rumours of moving to J-League. He stated that he will retire in February,2009 after playing almost 327 games for Bianconeri and scoring 65 goals. His retirement has caused a void on the left wing which Juventus had problem. I hope that Marcelo Estigarribia can fill the void.
Nedved returned to Turin as one of the directors of the club.

Dear Pavel,
Juventus may miss your brilliant runs, crosses and spectacular goals, but it will never see Pavel playing again. Happy Birthday once again.

love
One among your millions of fans.

Juventus -2011 Summer Signings

Juventus have spent a staggering 76.4 M € this summer. Here's the list of the player's who can make a significant change in the fortune's of Juventus.

Emanuele Giaccherini - 3 M
Mirko Vucinic - 15M
Arturo Vidal - 10.5M
Stephan Lichtsteiner - 10M
Alessandro Matri - 15.5M
Fabio Quagliarella - 10.5M
Marco Motta - 3.8M
Simone Pepe - 7.5M
Frederik Sorensen - 0.5M
Andrea Pirlo - free transfer
Michele Pazienza - free transfer
Reto Ziegler - free transfer

A record 12 transfers under Antonio Conte in his first season in charge! Forza Juventus!

Summer of 2011

In a month or two the transfer window will open and we would welcome another new season of some exciting football for the year 2011-12. Firstly this transfer window which opens effectively from June 1 and closes on midnight of august 31. Well there a few clubs who would try their luck getting players who would match their profile and their style of play.

Starting with Barclays Premier League, recent years in BPL has seen the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City splashing money on several high profile players.

So lets get down to my club Manchester United first. United with the backing of Glazers who reportedly sanctioned Sir Alex Ferguson a war chest of 100 million pounds to dig deep into the summer signings, this looks like a sign that the headlines in the newspapers would be dominated by the red devils.

Firstly they need a good goalkeeper who has skills to replace the retiring Van Der Sar. Well it would be quite a burden for the incoming keeper to replace a legend like Van Der Sar, considering the fact that he has won so many titles for united even at the age of 38 when he famously stopped Anelka's penalty to give United their second CL title. well the players who are monitored for this role are Manuel Neuer , David De Gea, Gigi Buffon and Hugo Lloris. From my point of view going for Gigi is a waste of money as hes a shadow of his former self, plagued by injuries and loss of form and also keeping the age factor in consideration , gigi would not be a wise choice to fill the shoes of Van Der Sar. David De Gea got both age and experience on his side and he is already touted as a possible replacement for Iker Casilas in the spain national team.

Secondly they need a good centre halves, one who is a good defender as well as well composed. Vidic and Ferdinand are the obvious starters for the first team but they need to get some young talent like Steve Taylor, Rafael Toloi or even Giorgio Chiellini.

Coming to the midfield, they need to sign players of high quality like Javier Pastore, Paulo Henrique Ganso, Marek Hamsik and Jack Rodwell. They need to buy a couple of players to replace the aging duo of Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes.

United have one of the best forwards in the world with the likes of Rooney, Berbatov and Chicharito. It would be wise if United can land either Alexis Sanchez who is one the brightest stars in Serie A or Edin Hazard who has catapulted to fame thanks to his performances at Lille.

Coming to Chelsea, the club i hate the most :P this time we may expect a summer clearance with the likes of Zhirkov,Drogba,Bosingwa,Anelka leaving stamford bridge and the likes of players like pastore,hamsik coming to replace them. 

Arsenal need to sign a top class goalkeeper from the above mentioned list but Igor Akinfeev looks like the best bet for the gunners. He's got class and skills as well as playing for CSKA Moskow and Russia, he would be an ideal keeper for the gunners.

Liverpool are continuing their resurgence in BPL thanks to the surprise signings of Suarez and Carrol. A liverpool fan would be delighted if they can get couple of good players in summer and the fate of Alberto Aquillani is still undecided. The decisive factor for Liverpool to get some good players in  summer would be whether they can offer European football next season or not. Afellay seems to be courted by both Arsenal and Liverpool and hes ready to move to one them if barca doesnt offer him first team football next season.

Coming to the case of Totenham, "make hay when the sun shine" as the proverb says, Spurs must sell Bale for a reasonable price in summer so that they can go into the market to fund their own transfers.

In Bundesliga, Bayern have sacked their coach Van Gaal, and the entire team is in mess following a disappointing season where they will finish with an empty cabinet, a summer overhaul is on the cards. the areas of concern would be defense and the midfield for the bavarian giants.

Schalke are enjoying their best football ever, UCL semifinals for the first time in their history, although winning the tournament is the only way they can ensure that they will return to europe next season. With the legendary RAUL leading their attack up front, they are a force to beckon with. it will be interesting to see if they can hold on to their captain who is the subject to a move to either arsenal or united.

coming to La Liga, its pretty straight, Barca and Real Madrid are fighting to sign Cesc, and in recent weeks CR was subject to speculation linking him to a move to italy. It would be interesting to see how Valencia would play in the transfer market provided they lose two of their best wingers, Mata and Pablo Hernandez.

last but not the least, Serie A, Milan would like to sign Ibra on full time basis for 24 million euros, while Inter are plotting a raid over Machester City for Tevez. Juventus on other hand have been in crisis where nothing has worked out, and the much awaited signing of Krasic turned out to be a disaster for the club. Nedved who is a director at Juventus is insisting on an overhaul and the players most likely approached by Juventus in summer would be Arshavin, Bosingwa and Bastos. Roma on other hand would probably monitor the market and go for players who have the capability to replace a legend like Totti.