Juventus look like a totally different team under Thiago Motta’s management, as he is getting far more out of the young, up-and-coming talents in Turin than Max Allegri ever did.
But we have to give Allegri credit for one thing, and that is creating a solid base defensively. That base, though, is about to be challenged now that arguably the best center back in Serie A, Gleison Bremer, is out with a torn ACL.
Juventus do have two other center backs with a case to be made for being among the best in veteran Danilo and breakout star Federico Gatti, who has been the highest-rated player in Italian football by local newspapers.
Still, Juventus are eyeing other center back options, as Nicolo Schira reports that the Bianconeri sent one of their scouts to Prague on Friday night in order to get a personal look at Albanian central defender Ardian Ismajli for the match between the Czech Republic and Albania.
The Czech Republic won 2-0, but Ismajli did win a tackle and two interceptions with six clearances and two blocked shots for the away side while completing 85 percent of his 40 pass attempts.
In Serie A, though, Ismajli has been far more impressive for Empoli, standing out as one of the top performers in the 2024/25 season thus far, regardless of position.
Ismajli is averaging 1.7 interceptions per game with just 0.1 dribbles completed allowed against him in league play. He’s winning an outstanding 10.4 clearances per game, showing great defensive vision and the kind of no-nonsense approach that Juventus value.
The issue with Ismajli is that he’s not a particularly good ball-player with a pass completion percentage of around 75, and he’s also already 28, so while he is in the prime of his career, he wouldn’t have any re-sale value.
That said, Ismajli is putting up great numbers in Serie A, and he could be an affordable winter signing if Juventus feel they need immediate help after Bremer’s injury. There is absolutely nothing wrong with Juve doing their due diligence and monitoring Ismajli.
