Gaetano D'Agostino's Potential Move to Turin Is a Deal Juventus Must Make

Usually when one of Serie A’s best players comes out in the press and states his desire to join your club on more than one occasion, you make the move as soon as you can.

When Juventus declared their interest to 27-year-old Udinese midfielder Gaetano D’Agostino as the regular season came to a close and the silly season opened, many people thought that it would be a quick negotiation with few obstacles.

However, things haven’t exactly gone according to plan for sporting director Alessio Secco.

As Secco snapped up Diego seemingly over the course of just a few short weeks, Juve’s transfer target that was expected to be the drawn-out signing of the summer, the negotiations with D’Agostino have moved forward, taken a step backwards, and now seem to be entering a do-or-die phase if any deal is to be made.

From the start of everything, Udinese have played hardball, slapping a €30 million price tag on D’Agostino when the transfer season began. He surely won’t be sold for that price, but he certainly is becoming a star

They have also demanded one of Juve’s highly touted youth products, Sebastian Giovinco, Claudio Marchisio, or Paolo De Ceglie, a clear sign of how much they value D’Agostino—or else the board is just simply trying to jack up the price because they are untouchable.

It’s understandable, though, that Udine would be like this, especially since the last time the two teams did business for a top-notch player on the rise, Vincenzo Iaquinta—which was two years ago—the price was only €11 million.

They certainly won’t make that mistake again.

Secco can’t afford to have this deal fall through like what happened with Xabi Alonso last summer. Secco and then-manager Claudio Ranieri settled for Danish midfielder Cristian Poulsen, whose first season in black-and-white was a rough one, filled with injuries and inconsistent play.

Now with the D’Agostino negotiations getting into a crucial period of time, Secco has to pull the trigger on a player of this quality.

New Juventus manager Ciro Ferrara has made it perfectly clear that he’s planning on switching his team’s formation to a 4-3-1-2 with the arrival of Diego, and the midfield needs a player with D’Agostino’s qualities. He’s a maestro in the center of the park, often drawing comparisons to AC Milan’s Andrea Pirlo, which is never a bad thing.

Put his deep-lying, regista style, a la Pirlo, that dictates the tempo of play in with Marchisio and Momo Sissoko flanking him, and things look ridiculously good for the Juve midfield.

He’s got superb vision, he’s a better defender than Pirlo is and ever will be, he’s one hell of a passer, and oh yeah, he grew up as a true Juventino.

How can you not love the guy?

D’Agostino is no one-year wonder. Even though he just recorded his first cap for the Azzurri in a friendly against Northern Ireland, it was one that was long overdue. He’s been one of the best in Italy, especially the past two years.

Some may think he is somewhat of a late bloomer, and that is a valid argument, but sometimes players take longer to find their knack than others do. D’Agostino didn’t start playing the regista role full-time until 2007.

Two years in a new position and he’s already ascended rapidly up the ladder. Can you imagine where he will be two years from now?

That’s a scary thought, and even more of a reason why it’s worth the risk for a player that wants to prove he can get it done with the most storied of teams.

As the summer has gone on, he’s made it perfectly that his eyes are concentrated only on playing in the Old Lady’s jersey at the Stadio Olimpico when the season opens.

Fans are expecting a Scudetto push in Juve’s third year back from Italy’s second division, and with those expectations come the hopes that top-flight talent is signed to meet the lofty goals.

D’Agostino has proved that he is one of those top-flight talents. There won’t be the factor of him having to adjust to Serie A or anything like that. He’s only going to get better from here and can certainly be the missing link for Juve in the post-Calciopolli era.

Pull the trigger, Alessio. The price you pay will certainly be worth it.