Juve need new ‘keeper
Tuesday 16 August, 2005
How do you replace the irreplaceable? That is a question that Juventus transfer guru Luciano Moggi must be asking himself today, with the likelihood that the Italian champions will be without Gigi Buffon for the next two months.
The shoulder injury he sustained in the 2-1 Trofeo Berlusconi loss to Milan at the weekend has already seriously jeopardised the club’s ambitions for the new campaign. With the outfit hoping to make a serious challenge at home and abroad, Juventus can’t afford to get off to a slow start as a result of a goalkeeping headache.
They admittedly have Antonio Chimenti, who is eagerly waiting for his chance to impress, but he’s arguably not the answer. The former Lecce and Roma man is an ideal No 2, a shot-stopper who can come in for the odd game. But there are doubts over whether he is the right man to stand in between the sticks for a sustained period, especially at this level. After all, what happens if Buffon’s recovery takes longer than expected or he is hit by the same problem later in the year?
Juventus fans will be well aware of the fact that David Trezeguet suffered with persistent shoulder problems last season, eventually leading to surgery and a three-month lay-off in order to resolve the injury. Can Juventus really afford to take such a gamble on such a key position? The answer is surely not.
So who could Juventus buy if they do opt to bring in extra cover? There seems to be a variety of options available to them. The biggest temptation may be Christian Abbiati given the uncertainty regarding his future. The Italian international joined Genoa from Milan this summer but that move is now in doubt as a result of the Rossoblu’s demotion to Serie C. It remains to be seen whether Milan would loan such a player to a title rival though.
Bologna’s Gianluca Pagliuca would also be another excellent objective for the Old Lady. He would be an ideal short-term replacement and a cheap one. He may now be of a certain vintage but he was superb last term despite his club’s relegation to Serie B. A move north would also allow the former Azzurri No 1 to keep his hopes of beating Dino Zoff’s Serie A consecutive game appearance record.
Moggi may also realistically look at signing Matteo Sereni from Lazio. Despite the fact that he earns three times more than first choice ‘keeper Angelo Peruzzi, he is again set to start the campaign as the second choice. That is unless he moves to Turin of course and if he accepts being Peruzzi’s reserve in Rome, then he will surely have no problem in becoming Buffon’s understudy in Turin.
It’s unclear at this stage whether any of the aforementioned ‘keepers will arrive, but if none of them do then another unnamed man must surely be captured. Any thoughts of signing Roma’s Antonio Cassano must be archived for now, at least until a new goalkeeper puts pen to paper on an Old Lady contract.
Words: Antonio Labbate
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