Italian Champions Juventus recently completed the signing of French midfielder Blaise Matuidi on a three-year deal for a fee of £18.2 million not including add-ons. PSG’s loss could be a jackpot for Juventus, as there are three major ways in which Matuidi can help his new club.
Three Ways New Signing Blaise Matuidi Can Help Juventus
Box-to-Box Style
Since the breakout of N’golo Kanté at Leicester City, the football world has remembered how important box-to-box midfielders are. It seems like every top team wants a hard working midfielder capable of passing vision and defensive recovery. Bayern Munich’s Arturo Vidal, Manchester United’s Paul Pogba and Nemanja Matic, and Real Madrid’s Toni Kroos and Casemiro are some examples. In fact, Juventus boss Masimilliano Allegri may have a selection dilemma. Matuidi is an upgrade to injury-prone Sami Khedira and may even be preferred to club stalwart Claudio Marchisio. Furthermore, Matuidi’s work rate and tackling may allow creative midfielder Miralem Pjanic more freedom. Even at the age of 30, Matuidi’s endurance is strong. And at a base fee of under £20 million, Matuidi could be one of the bargains of this summer’s transfer window.
Experience
At thirty-years old there are not many more players more experienced than Blaise Matuidi. While playing in Paris, Matuidi won four Ligue 1, four Coupe de la Ligue, three Coupe de France, and five French Supercups, During that time he has also participated in the Champions League, Europe’s premier club competition and a trophy Juventus are eager to win. Further, Matuidi currently has 58 caps for France, taking part in some major international tournaments. This wealth of experience is beneficial to a side like Juventus. There are plenty of seasoned veterans, but also young players, such as Daniele Rugani, Paulo Dybala, and Federico Bernardeschi. Juventus will be fighting for the Coppa Italia, the Champions League, and to defend their league crown, so Matuidi’s experience at a title winning team like PSG will be valuable.
Fills the Voids
Juventus should be proud. They have lost major players in recent years, but have still managed to compete and succeed on multiple fronts. The Old Lady have won the Italian league for the past five seasons and have made it to the Champions League Final twice in the last three years. They have done this despite losing young French revelation Paul Pogba and star defensive midfielder Arturo Vidal. Of course, Juventus used their money from these sales to reinvest in their squad but it never seemed like the voids were fully filled. Miralem Pjanic does not have the same box-to-box style that Pogba does and Vidal has far more to his overall game as a defensive midfielder than Sami Khedira. Blaise Matuidi, incredibly, fills both vacancies nicely because of his up and down movement and ball recovery. Although it may have come a little late, Juventus may have replaced what they lost with the departures of both Pogba and Vidal with one relatively cheap signing!
Verdict
Blaise Matuidi is a fantastic signing for Juventus and is a steal at £18.2 million. His highly coveted box-to-box style and experience are great additions to a team competing for the highest club honors. Not to mention, Matuidi can help Juventus finally put losing Pogba and Vidal behind them, as the Frenchman fills the holes both former Juventus players left. One has to wonder if Matuidi is secretly the missing piece to Juventus’s Champions League dream.
Source:
Juventus agree deal to sign PSG midfielder Blaise Matuidi for £18.2m
http://us.soccerway.com/players/blaise-matuidi/1188/
