Klippybo
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1984-85 European Cup Final - Juventus 1-0 Liverpool
PRE-SEASON
At the time of writing it is August 22nd and we have one match to play in August so I will write the post as I would, play the Serie A match and then finish off the transfer window. The Serie A match will be in the following post.
I have to say that I was extremely disappointed with the squad that I inherited. There was next to no Italian players in it and the general quality of the squad is very poor. Defensively the squad is very strong and there are some decent wingers but in central midfield and up front the quality was very much lacking. So with that in mind I wanted to bring in some top quality players and to sign as many decent Italians that would fit in to my squad.
So far I have spent £260m on 8 players and have recouped £185m and I still have £60m to spend and maybe with some more players to sell so I still have some work to do.
I must admit that I dont really have much of a clue as to what my best team is. Every time I have moved on before I have got a job mid to late season and used that to assess the players etc so when the summer recruitment came I was in the know and I always thought it would be better to take over in the summer but now I realise that having a few games to assess the squad is actually far better!!!!
After the World Cup I got offered some national team jobs from Spain, Italy, Argentina and Germany and while they all appealed there is only one that interests me...............
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PLAYERS OUT
My biggest sale was that of Kasper Dolberg who left to join Atalanta for an initial £40m (up to £50m). I sold him because I had my eye on another striker who coincidentally enough played for Atalanta lol.
Mateo Kovacic went to Real Madrid for £30.5m as at 32y/o I didnt think he fitted into my plans but in hindsight I maybe should have kept him. Julian Brandt joined RB Leipzig for £22.5m and that deal was already in place. Alvaro Odriozola joined Valencia for £19m on deadline day just because he was a 30y/o backup RB on a huge wage!!!!
Carlos Cuesta joined Everton for £18.25m while I sold Alvaro Morata (£7.75m) and Davinson Sanchez (£7m) to Real Sociedad. All the other sales were either arranged beforehand or were minor players or backup.
A few players were loaned out like Szceszny and Alex Sandro.
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PLAYERS IN
My most expensive signing was that of my new left back - Renan Lodi - who I brought in from Barcelona for £65m. When looking at his history Juventus signed him in the 2022-23 season for £25m and sold him on after a season for £32m and now I have paid double that to bring him back to the club from Barcelona. He is a top quality left back though and should add a lot going forward.
Danilo Liberio is the lad I wanted from Atalanta and I spent £53m on the wonderkid. He only scored 6 goals last season so to put the pressure on him to play up front for Juventus is quite something and I hope he will do well but he looks like a player and he led the Italian invasion with my signings lol.
After the Napoli game (result in next post) I decided that I really needed to strengthen my midfield so I brought in Andri Fannar Baldursson from Man City for £33m. The Iceland international spent 5 years with Bologna so he is already fluent in Italian which is a big bonus. He is quick, can pick a pass and I think he should fit in well.
Andrea Papetti was transfer listed by Arsenal and it took £33m to bring him in. He is rapid and at 24y/o can still improve and should be an ideal partner for De Ligt. He hasnt been capped by Italy yet which is a bit of a surprise but I look forward to working with him.
An old favourite was brought in when I paid Hamburg £29m to bring in Marco Brescianini. Now he isnt highly rated by my coaches and I can understand that but I know what Brescianini can bring to the party and he will be a good squad member.
My new keeper is Benjamin Blanco who is an Argentinian wonderkid. I paid Fulham £27.5m to bring him in and he is one that will help immediately but should also be between the sticks for years to come.
My next signing is one I have made twice already in this save! Moise Kean came in from Lokomotiv Moscow for £17m. I signed him on loan in my first season at Hamburg and I also signed him just before I left there on a free and I brought him in here because he was home grown by the club which is a bonus and because I needed a backup striker.
Victor Manuel Romana joined on deadline day to replace Odriozola as my backup RB. The 20y/o Colombian came in from Leeds for £12m and although he is still very raw as a player he has the base stats to go onto be a great player. He will offer a load of pace down the right hand side and if he improves the £12m fee will prove to be a bargain!
Alessandro Plizzari came in from AC Milan for £1.4m and he will be my new backup keeper.
I had the opportunity to sign a wonderkid on a free transfer so I couldnt turn that down so in came Gerard Vincent from PSG. He looks like a decent player but he is the type of player that I have plenty of unfortunately. I have 5 or 6 attacking midfielders that are all much of a muchness.
Finally on deadline day I made another midfield signing and he was another Italian as Gaetano Castrovilli came in on loan from Man Utd. He is a top quality player and I felt I really needed another CM despite signing Brescianini and Baldursson. I think Curtis Jones will end up competing for a place there too so maybe I am building a stronger squad than I think!
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AIMS FOR THE SEASON
Last season Juventus finished 4th and I can see why. I would normally say when rocking up at Juventus that it is the Serie A title and Champions League that I am going for but I fear that we dont have enough quality for that so while I wouldnt rule out anything this job is going to be tougher than I had imagined before coming in. If I had accepted the Bayern job I would have inherited a far better squad and the squad I had built at Dortmund is far stronger than this Dortmund side!!!
Its all pretty negative lol.
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CHAMPIONS LEAGUE DRAW
I always expected us to qualify for the group but I think we could play my backups and they could easily qualify here. PSV, Shakhtar and Partizan Belgrade.