They missed out on Destro and Verratti, but Juventus are stocking up with youth

By Dominic Vieira

Having rightfully won the 2011/12 Serie A title, Juventus’ objectives this season are clear: continue reigning throughout the ‘Land of Chaos’, challenge Europe’s elite and intelligently, build a team for the future. Unfortunately Andrea Pirlo won’t be there forever, but a club like Juventus, managed by the ambitious Antonio Conte, are thinking long term through signing a series of promising players.

Despite stocking up with youth, they missed out capturing the incredibly talented midfielder maestro-in-the-making Marco Verratti, aged 19, who opted to sign for the economic powerhouse PSG. And he’s not the only one, Mattia Destro is a name circulating the media. The former Inter youngster enjoyed a strong season at Siena, where his performances and ability transformed him into one of the country’s most wanted strikers. Although there are links to Juventus and other big names, AS Roma appear to have won the race, suggesting another defeat for the champions.

However, it’s not all bad for Juventus. On the contrary, they began their youth investment with the arrival of Paul Pogba, who decided to leave Manchester United. It’s deal that certainly sparked controversy and makes one question the influence of agents in the modern game. It’s no surprise to see Mino Raiola’s involvement; he managed to negotiate an elevated wage for a midfielder with grand potential, but will probably spend most of the season warming the bench.

With the exception of Pogba, the Serie A champions acquired youngsters from across the nation, starting from the back with the goalkeepers. Although Storari is the second choice, there is always limited opportunities to play between the sticks when the world class Buffon is your partner in training. Nicola Leali signed from Brescia on a 5 year deal and is touted to become the future number 1 for his country. But in order to achieve such milestone, endless dedication, hard work and enthusiasm to learn from one of the best, is essential for his development. Interestingly, the young Romanian Laurentiu Branescu will always be competing for that spot. The challenge is on!

Juventus, like Manchester United in the past, raided Empoli’s fruitful youth set-up for their two most promising players, centre-back Daniele Rugani and Albanian midfielder Elvis Kabashi. Rugani featured in their recent 7-1 pre-season victory leaving strong indications that one day he could become a permanent feature on that solid back line.

Next up is Alberto Masi, a deal that naturally did not draw great attention, unless you follow the Italian third division. The centre-back will spend pre-season with Juventus before returning to Pro Vercelli, which earned promotion into Serie B. He’s a long term signing and at his age it is vital to play with a high frequency at a competitive level. Furthermore, when there is Chiellini, Lucio, Barzagli and Bonnuci to choose from, life becomes highly difficult for Alberto and the same applies to 17 year old Rugani. But nonetheless, he’s one to look out for in the future.

The final talent is Richmond Boakye, who joins the club after spending an impressive season on loan at Serie B side Sassuolo. The physical striker, who plays for Ghana, has moved to Juventus under a co-ownership agreement with Genoa, and unless new strikers arrive, he could enjoy a fair amount of playing time.

But where are the Primavera boys? The club rarely promotes players from their youth academy directly to the first team; normally they’re sent on loan or transferred under the co-ownership agreement, which is widely used throughout Italy to gain experience. However, this year there is a selection of fine talent taking part in the pre-season with Magnusson, Padovan, Appelt, Schiavone and Bouy all being names that offer great promise.

Juventus will be a solid team with depth as they’ve strengthened with the addition of the experienced, former World Cup winner Lucio to the back line and completed a double swoop for Udinese’s Asamoah and Isla. However, the biggest and wisest decision made this summer was re-signing Giovinco, who has inherited Del Piero’s majestic number 10.

It’s definitely going to be an exciting year for Conte and will be interesting to see the role these purchased and promoted talents play in their successful.