What's the Outlook for Juventus' Fringe Players in 2015-16?

As Juventus prepare for the 2015/16 season, much has changed for the Italian giants. Last term saw the Bianconeri enjoy their most successful in many years, a Champions League final appearance capping a campaign in which they also lifted both the Serie A crown and the Coppa Italia.

Marking only the third time the club had completed a domestic double, players like Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez decided it was the perfect time to move on to a new adventure. In addition, backup players like Marco Storari, Rubinho and Simone Pepe were allowed to leave too, meaning the squad will look vastly different when the new season gets underway.

Juventus have worked quickly, adding Paulo Dybala, Mario Mandzukic and Sami Khedira before the transfer window had even opened. Yet those arrivals leave a number of players more marginalised than they had been previously, with one or two perhaps pondering their long-term futures in Turin.

Those names on the fringe of the squad almost certainly include Simone Padoin, though the 31-year-old is unlikely to have too many concerns over his role. He arrived from Atalanta in January 2012, and has since been part of a team which has won six trophies, making 96 appearances in all competitions.

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No fewer than 35 of those came last season—comfortably his most in a single campaign—as he showed incredible versatility to play no less than five different positions, while his tally of 20 starts was his highest since the 2009/10 season.

The aforementioned influx of attacking talent will also leave a question mark over Kingsley Coman’s immediate future, although he is clearly highly regarded by Allegri and the club’s management team. The 19-year-old made 20 appearances in 2014/15, but the arrival of Mandzukic and Dybala sees him pushed even further down the pecking order, with Simone Zaza also expected to be signed very soon.

Allegri mentioned the Sassuolo striker in an interview with Sky Italia last month (h/t Football Italia), and that new-found depth has led to talk of a loan for him. A report by French newspaper L’Equipe (h/t Forza Italian Football) linked Lille, Saint-Etienne and Palermo with Coman, and his name is certainly one to monitor in the coming weeks.

The arrival of Daniele Rugani means that Angelo Ogbonna will also perhaps be forced out, with TuttoSport believing that Everton, West Ham and Southampton have expressed interest in bringing the defender to the Premier League (h/t Football Italia).

Despite lengthy injury-enforced absences for both Andrea Barzagli and Martin Caceres, Ogbonna made just 18 starts this past season, and the prospect of a €10 million fee from one of those English sides would perhaps prove too tempting to refuse.

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Paolo De Ceglie—a product of the Juventus youth sector—returned to Turin in January, the Bianconeri terminating his loan with Parma when it was clear the troubled club could not afford to pay his wages. The 28-year-old full-back played just 104 minutes for the Old Lady however, and appears unsuited to being the long-term backup to Patrice Evra, particularly as Allegri will have Kwadwo Asamoah available once again.

With the club looking at alternatives for the French defender—a subject discussed in detail here—De Ceglie is likely to move on again before the end of the summer. A combination of injuries meant Luca Marrone also effectively missed the entire season, and it is no surprise to see he too is linked with a summer exit.

Writing on his own website, transfer expert Gianluca Di Marzio believes newly promoted Serie A sides Carpi and Bologna are interested in signing the 25-year-old. The midfielder, like many of Juve’s fringe players, may well have some big decisions to make before the 2015/16 season begins.