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With Juventus having wrapped up an unprecedented eighth consecutive Serie A title a month ago, plans would begin in earnest for the Turin giant’s assault on the Champions League next season.
The Bianconerri are without continental glory in exactly 22 years and this Champions League drought takes some gloss of their near domestic invincibility, as the biggest club competition in Europe is where the club has set its sights on.
It is in line with this that the club went all out to sign Cristiano Ronaldo last summer, bringing him to Italy for a club record fee, as the 34-year-old Portuguese icon was seen as the missing link to the club finally laying their hands on the ‘Big Ears’.
However, despite impressively scoring five knockout goals including a stunning hat-trick in the second round to eliminate Atletico Madrid, Ronaldo and Juventus still came up short as they were knocked out by a youthful Ajax side in the quarterfinals to ensure that their Champions League misery would continue for at least another season.
With Masimiliano Allegri having announced his departure at the end of the season, it is certain that a new manager would be in the dugout at the Juventus stadium next season. However, it is not only on the bench where changes are expected, as the club would need to make some modifications in the playing department to make themselves more competitive on the continent next season.
In this piece, we shall be having a rundown of four new arrivals at Juventus who could give them a shot at Champions League glory next season.
#4 Marcelo
For the last 11 years at Real Madrid, Marcelo has played his way into the annals of the club as one of the greatest left-backs to don the famous white of Los Blancos.
For nine years between 2009 and 2018, a common sight was Ronaldo rising highest to nod home the ball off a bombarding run and cross from his Brazilian teammate and both men went on to form a devastating combination on the field while maintaining a healthy relationship off it.
Indeed, speculation emerged during the course of the 2018/2019 season that Ronaldo had pleaded with Marcelo to join him in Italy, with Juventus said to have been considering the option and even though nothing came of the rumors at the time, this summer window offers an opportunity for the club to move ahead with their plans, as Marcelo’s future at the Bernabeu is far from certain.
Cristiano Ronaldo is crucial to Juventus’s plan to win the Champions League and with Marcelo being one of the players who has bonded with him both on and off the field the most over the years, it is imperative they get him to help their quest for the Champions League.
#3. Joao Felix
Despite having played just 43 professional matches in his career, Joao Felix finds himself as one of the most sought after forwards in the world.
The 19-year-old had his breakout campaign in the just concluded season, establishing himself in Benfica's first team having shown great promise in the youth sides and the Portuguese grabbed his opportunity with both feet, scoring 20 goals from 43 appearances in all competitions to help Los Encarnados to the Portuguese league title.
Felix's displays caught the eye, with him drawing comparisons to Portuguese and Benfica legend Rui Costa, as well as Kaka while he has also been described as the most exciting Portuguese youngster since Cristiano Ronaldo.
Expectedly, he has courted attention from major clubs around the world, with Juventus said to be interested in his services. The Bianconerri would however face competition for his signature, as Manchester City and Manchester United are also said to be contemplating a move.
If he does leave the Estadio de Luz this sumer, Felix would not come cheap, as Benfica president Luis Felipe Viera has warned his suitors that anyone interested in him must pay his full release clause which is believed to be worth €120m
#2. Aaron Ramsey
If there was one glaring weakness in Juventus during the 2018/2019 season, it was a lack of creativity in the middle of the park, as the midfielders on display failed to provide the spark needed to win matches convincingly.
Blaise Matuidi, Emre Can, Miralem Pjanic and the likes are all one-dimensional type of midfielders lacking the technique to penetrate opposition defenses, while Paulo Dybala did not show enough compatibility with Cristiano Ronaldo and lost his place in the starting lineup as a result.
This weakness might not have been exploited in the league owing to the vast superiority of the Turin giants over the rest of their 'competition', but they got found out on the continent against much better opposition.
To put this in perspective, no Juventus player apart from Ronaldo scored a goal in the knockout stages of this season's Champions League - that is over 360 minutes of football without anyone else finding the back of the net and this is rather poor for a club of Juventus's standing.
The imminent arrival of Aaron Ramsey cold potentially solve this problem, as the Welsh international has shown a penchant for scoring goals over the years, with his record of 40 goals and 46 assists from 262 Premier League appearances being fair enough.
If Ramsey can apply himself at Juventus like he did at Arsenal and blend in well with Ronaldo on the field, then the 28-year-old would undoubtedly strengthen the Italian champions which would in turn make them more competitive in Europe next season.
#1. Matthijs de Ligt
While it might be tempting to suggest that Juventus’s defense is solid and not in need of reinforcement, a closer look at the facts reveal a much different story.
Giorgio Chiellini is the captain of the side and unequivocal leader of the defense, but having turned 34 last summer, the 2006 World Cup winner is rapidly approaching the nadir of his career, while Leonardo Bonucci is 32 and has failed to inspire confidence in Chiellini’s absence.
Also, Daniel Rugani has not matured into the 'next Gaetano Scirea' that many predicted some years ago and it is imperative that Juventus signs a quality center-back if they are to remain competitive heading into the future.
It is here that Matthijs de Ligt comes in, as despite just being 19 years, the Dutch international has already grabbed headlines around the world,
He was captain of the Ajax side that defied expectation and made it to the semifinal of the Champions League, knocking Juventus out on their own patch along the way (with de Ligt scoring one of the goals).
The 2018 Golden Boy possesses excellent technique on the ball and while he might be lacking in physicality at the moment, he more than makes up for that with his leadership ability, excellent positioning and all-round defensive brilliance and as such would be a shoo-in to the Juventus defense.
Great defenses win titles and while Juventus might be flying high domestically, on the continent, they came up short and as such, the club must do all in its power to sign the highly rated de Ligt, as he could prove integral to their push for Champions League glory next season.
