Juventus are nothing if not pragmatic. When one door closes in Turin, the sporting directors usually find a draft from another corridor. Sunday's whis...
Juventus are nothing if not pragmatic. When one door closes in Turin, the sporting directors usually find a draft from another corridor. Sunday's whispers from the Allianz Stadium suggest that Andrea Pirlo's old side have accepted defeat in their pursuit of Liverpool's Andy Robertson. The Scot was always a long shot, a marquee name with a price tag that would have required a crowdfunding effort from the Agnelli family. But the Old Lady never travels light, and they appear to have already identified a fallback who knows the Serie A rhythm inside out.The name doing the rounds is a EURO 2020 winner, a man who lifted the trophy at Wembley and then promptly vanished from the English top flight. We are talking about a player who embodies the 'win at all costs' mentality that Max Allegri adores. He isn't a glamorous galactico in the mould of a Robertson, but he is a dogged, experienced competitor who can operate in that left sided channel without demanding the spotlight. Let's be honest, Juventus don't need a headline grabber right now; they need someone who can actually deliver a cross from the bye line without hitting the first defender.This is classic Juve business. They identify a target, probe the market, and when the price becomes a circus, they pivot to the proverbial grizzled veteran. The EURO 2020 winner they have eyes for offers that rare quality of being both a Champions League level competitor and a player who will not throw a fit if he is asked to sit deep and protect a lead. In a squad that often looks brittle when the pressure is on, that kind of cool head is worth its weight in gold. Robertson would have been a statement of intent, but this alternative feels like a statement of intelligence.Could it be a gamble Absolutely. The player in question hasn't exactly set the world alight since his triumphant summer for Italy. But Allegri has a history of reviving careers, of taking players who have lost a yard of pace and teaching them to use their brain an extra yard quicker. If Juventus want to challenge Inter and Milan without breaking the bank, this might just be the most sensible move they make all window. The fans might groan at the lack of star power, but they will cheer when he puts in a crunching tackle in the final minute of a 1. 0 derby win.For now, the deal remains in the speculation phase. But if there is one thing we have learned about the Bianconeri, it is that they rarely leave the market empty handed. They lost the Robertson race, but they may have found a better fit for the system. The engine room of the Italian game is rarely about the most gifted passenger; it is about the driver who knows the road.
