Gianluca Di Marzio has reported that Thiago Motta will be heading to Juventus, becoming the latest top Italian transfer expert to state that his appointment is essentially as good as done.
This managerial change from Max Allegri to Thiago Motta will come as music to the ears of Juventini, who have been increasingly frustrated with “Mad Max” and his lethargic, ultra-defensive style.
Juventus feel like yesterday’s news in Italian football, plodding in third with more than 20 points separating them from the title, while Motta has made Bologna the “It” club and within a stone’s throw of a fairytale Champions League qualification.
It looks like Thiago Motta won’t see the fairytale through, though, and will instead be tasked with saving Juventus from another dark period in their otherwise almighty history.
Motta is an amazing young coach, but he cannot change everything without the right players around him. According to a report from Gianluca Di Marzio, Juventus sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli has three big signings in mind to help the Italian coach.
Undoubtedly, Motta will be incredibly familiar with two of those players, as Juventus are pursuing Bologna striker Joshua Zirkzee and center back Riccardo Calafiori – two of the hottest young players in Serie A and two big breakout stars under Motta.
Neither of those players are at priority positions of need, but Juventus could use more depth at striker and center back anyway. Furthermore, supporting Motta with two stars he knows and likes – and who can keep progressing – is not a bad policy at all.
The third name on the shortlist is Michele Di Gregorio, who has the second-best save percentage in Serie A and could be the long-term heir to Wojciech Szczesny.
With Mattia Perin’s contract also expiring in 2025, the road is paved for a new hero between the sticks in Turin, and Juventus could find that the 26-year-old Monza shot-stopper is an upgrade on even Szczesny.
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