There is no official announcement, expected within days, but the new transfer market man begins his adventure at Juve. With the technician, on vacation, he has already spoken several times on the phone, from the module to the market
– Turin
The Giuntoli era has already begun, but today it will come to life concretely. Waiting for the official announcement, expected for mid-weekend, the new head of the Juventus technical area will be at Continassa during the day. A blitz to view the sports center, offices, headquarters, facilities and to speak in person with the general director Francesco Calvo and with the other Juventus executives after the telephone contacts of the past few days. The scudetto-winning sporting director, fresh from a photo-finish divorce with Napoli after 8 years in blue and the historic tricolor, will begin to get to know and become familiar with the Juventus world. A planet that will see him as a protagonist for at least the next 5 years. Yes, because the property, the CEO Maurizio Scanavino and the general manager Francesco Calvo have chosen Giuntoli for a medium-long term project. The goal, starting from this first season, will be to bring Juventus back to winning both on the pitch and in terms of balance sheets.
On the phone with Allegri
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Giuntoli won’t find Massimiliano Allegri at Continassa today. The coach from Livorno is finishing his holidays and, barring changes in plans, he will go directly to Turin next week for the team meeting, set for Monday (10 July). While waiting to meet, the new manager and the Juventus coach continue to talk on the phone. From the presentations, the two have already moved on to more concrete facts. From the transfer market, already launched this month by sporting director Giovanni Manna who will remain in the club with the role of deputy Giuntoli, to the ideas on Juventus to come. It is no mystery, as evidenced by the first moves on the market (renewal of Rabiot, buyout of Milik and purchase of Weah Jr from Lille), that Max’s orientation is to want to restart from last season’s 3-5-2 . Coach and managers are convinced that the squad needs another full-back to alternate with Timothy Weah (De Sciglio will only return in January after ligament surgery). Leicester’s Timothy Castagne remains a concrete hypothesis. The former Atalanta is not the only name, but there has already been some contact for the Belgian. Holm from Spezia and Odriozola and Vazquez from Real Madrid are also on the list. On the other hand, the prices of Nandez del Cagliari are reported to be decreasing.
More dribbling and quality
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Allegri is anything but a fundamentalist coach. Thus, if the 3-5-2 will be the starting point, some variations to the basic theme must be planned. Starting with the 3-4-2-1 already seen last season with Angel Di Maria in one of the two places behind the centre-forward. Unlike last year, however, Fideo will not be there. And in recent days, the Bianconeri have also said goodbye to Juan Cuadrado, left free on a free transfer. If Weah Jr will be the Colombian’s successor on the right wing, instead of Di Maria the Bianconeri are looking for a left-footed player capable of starting from the right (like the Argentine), but also capable of playing inside the pitch, dribbling and creating superiority in the strait. For all these reasons Domenico Berardi is back in fashion at Continassa, already close to Juventus in the past. The Sassuolo flag is 28 years old and in recent seasons he has always closed in double figures in terms of goals and often also excelled in the assists ranking. There is still no negotiation with the Emilians, but only a convinced approval. The impression is that the race for Berardi would become easier, but still not obvious, in the event of the sacrifice of Federico Chiesa, who continues to be on the radar of the Premier League. Berardi is not the only name in the crosshairs. The bianconeri do not lose sight of Nicolò Zaniolo (Galatasaray), who could become an opportunity after mid-August. Okafor (Salzburg) is also on the list: the contract expires in 2024, but there is strong competition from English clubs. Giuntoli, Allegri and all the other managers (starting with Manna) also discussed the future of Dusan Vlahovic, increasingly in Chelsea’s sights. If the Blues were to sink, there are two hypotheses that intrigue the most: a young striker like Hojlund from Atalanta or an expert striker like Alvaro Morata (Atletico), over whom Milan has the advantage, however.
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