Friday 14 July 2017
THOUGHTS: BONUCCI TO MILAN
It was the transfer
news Juventus fans least expected. Fan favorite Leonardo Bonucci leaving
Juventus to join big spending AC Milan. What makes this news a bitter pill to
swallow is that after 7 years in a Bianconeri shirt Bonucci will not only leave
to a direct rival, but arguably at a discounted price of €40m (£35.2m).
According to various reports the relationship between Bonucci & manager
Allegri had reached a point beyond repair due to arguments as seen during a 4-1 victory against Palermo, resulting in the player wanting to
leave the club yet unwilling to leave Italy for family reasons.
So what does this mean for Juventus? First off it
means Juventus are losing another key player in a summer transfer window, this
time one of the best defenders in football to a direct rival for the scudetto
next season. Not ideal. It also gives promising defender Rugani the opportunity
to become an instant replacement, something he was bound to do at some stage. With Benatia permanently joining from
Bayern Munich, Caldara (currently on loan to Atalanta) arriving next summer and
plenty of time left in the transfer window for signings, squad depth should not
be a major issue in the centre of defence (especially if Allegri decides to
field 2 centre backs in next season formation)
As unfortunate as it is to lose a fan favourite
such as Bonucci the one thing in football that remains true is that no player
is bigger than the club. Juventus have let big names such as Paul Pogba & Arturo Vidal depart in the recent past and still gone into the upcoming season a contender for all competitions entered and next season will be no different.
Timeline: (as of July 14th 2017)
Feb 17th 2017: Bonucci angrily
reacts to changes made during closing stages of the match. Allegri
overheard on video calling Bonucci a "d***head" and telling him to
"f**k off" during a heated row in Juventus 4-1 victory over Palermo.
Feb 22nd 2017: Bonucci is dropped
for first leg of champions league last 16 tie away to Porto after heated
exchange during win against Palermo “Tomorrow Bonucci will be in the stands.
That doesn’t mean it has to be made into a big deal. Out of respect for the
club, the team and the fans, this was the right decision," said
Allegri.
June 3rd 2017: Juventus lose 4-1 to
Real Madrid in champions league final.
June 20th 2017: Rumours begin to
circulate of a HT bust up against Real Madrid to the extent of Bonucci falling
out with Barzagli, angrily debating tactics suggesting Allegri replace Barzagli
with Cuadrado and even slapping Dybala.
June 21st 2017: Bonucci denies
reports of said Half Time bust up "None of what was written, talked
about or reconstructed is true," he posted on his official Facebook page.
July 13th: News begins to circulate of a
shock move of Bonucci joining Milan
July 14th 2017: Sky Italia report
the deal of Bonucci to Milan is “practically a done deal”
Friday 7 July 2017
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