Comparing Juventus' 2015 Summer Transfer Moves to Their Serie A Rivals

While the last four years have undoubtedly been enjoyable for Juventus supporters, the two most recent Serie A seasons have been something of a procession for the Turin giants. From the moment AS Roma’s 2013/14 challenge collapsed in late October, there was never any real doubt that the Bianconeri would lift the title each time.

The emphatic nature of those victories—finishing some 17 points ahead of their nearest rival each year—has finally seen Italian football move with a sense of urgency this summer. Milan, Inter, Fiorentina and Napoli have each begun major overhauls both on and off the field, hoping they can mount a more credible push at the top of the table next time around.

In addition, both AS Roma and city rivals Lazio—who finished second and third respectively last term—have retained their star players and hope a year of stability will help them close the gap to Massimiliano Allegri’s all-conquering side.

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The Giallorossi have added Spanish midfielder Iago Falque, the 25-year-old having impressed with Genoa in 2014/15 as he bagged 13 goals and three assists, as well as also securing a permanent deal for Radja Nainggolan, who had been co-owned by Cagliari.

He was arguably the club’s best player last season, and sealing that deal should be huge for them, though AS Roma surely have much more work to do on the market before they can hope to be taken seriously as title challengers.

On the other side of the Italian capital, Lazio are preparing for their Champions League play-off fixture, bringing in Dutch defender Wesley Hoedt and former Barcelona midfielder Patric to add depth to their squad.

Fiorentina—having dealt with the tumultuous exits of coach Vincenzo Montella and star player Mohamed Salah—are likely to have a year of rebuilding under new boss Paulo Sousa. They should welcome striker Giuseppe Rossi back into the team and will hope the Italian will be able to lift them higher than the fourth-placed finish they have registered for three consecutive seasons.

Last year saw them finish above Napoli, with the southern club floundering somewhat under Rafael Benitez, who has since been replaced by Maurizio Sarri. Having enjoyed much success with Empoli, the coach will hope to replicate the energetic and attractive style he brought to the Tuscan minnows at the Stadio San Paolo.

A number of players have been linked, with Udinese midfielder Allan believed to be the closest to a move, having been in transfer negotiations for weeks, per Football Italia. While the sweeping changes of that quartet of clubs leave something of a question mark over their immediate futures, the landscape of Milanese football has shifted dramatically.

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Like Clarence Seedorf before him, Filippo Inzaghi has been fired by Milan, with yet another highly recognisable former player taking his place on the bench. After an impressive campaign with Sampdoria last season, Sinisa Mihajlovic will now be looking to revive the fortunes of a Rossoneri side which limped to a woeful 10th place finish in 2014/15.

In order help him to achieve that, Silvio Berlusconi has finally opened his chequebook once again, buoyed by the sale of a 48 per cent stake in the club to Thai businessman Bee Taechaubol. The two parties issued a statement earlier this month which read (h/t Football Italia):

"The draft agreement, which will be examined in detail, assures control of the club remains in the hands of president Silvio Berlusconi and Fininvest, which will hold a majority share of 52 per cent. The consortium represented by Mr Taechaubol will acquire a minority stake of 48 per cent."

The Rossoneri have embarked on a major spending spree, bringing in midfielder Andrea Bertolacci from Roma, Shakhtar Donetsk striker Luiz Adriano and Carlos Bacca from Sevilla. Quite how all those pieces will fit together remains to be seen, and it will be interesting how Mihajlovic sets about inspiring a turnaround in the red and black half of the city.

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Across town, however, Roberto Mancini is simultaneously hoping to restore Inter to the level of success they enjoyed in his first spell with the club. The former Manchester City boss arrived after the sacking of Walter Mazzarri last November, but he is now firmly settling back in to life with the Nerazzurri.

The club have arguably been the most active of all Italian sides, picking up midfielder Jonathan Biabiany from Parma, Atletico Madrid defender Joao Miranda and full-back Martin Montoya from Barcelona. In addition, Inter have also signed Geoffrey Kondogbia from AS Monaco, a move which caused a major rift with Milan who had also made a move for the 22-year-old midfielder.

That bidding drove the price up to €40 million, but the player himself explained the situation earlier this week, revealing some interesting details shared between himself and Rossoneri CEO Adriano Galliani as he spoke to French newspaper L’Equipe (h/t Football Italia):

"

The truth is that I spoke to Milan, but never in my life have I said yes to Adriano Galliani, The Rossoneri offered me more, but Mancini made a difference. The two clubs know what happened, and they know what they offered me.

Milan know that their offer was better financially, but I didn’t make my choice based on that.

"

Kondogbia undoubtedly improves Inter’s hopes immeasurably, but those six rival clubs will still be comparing their work to that being done in Turin ahead of the new campaign. The Bianconeri moved quickly this summer, agreeing deals for Paulo Dybala, Sami Khedira and Mario Mandzukic before the transfer window had actually opened.

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They have since signed Sassuolo striker Simone Zaza and secured Roberto Pereyra—who spent last season on loan at Juventus—on a permanent deal. Yet it is the departures rather than arrivals that will lend hope to the clubs below them, with Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez having already moved on.

Losing that duo—who were undeniably the creative spark behind the team as discussed here—is bad enough, but it seems Arturo Vidal may also be on his way out of Turin. As reported by BBC Sport, the Chilean midfielder appears close to agreeing a move to Bayern Munich, robbing Allegri of a third big star in just a few short weeks.

How the coach copes with that will be central to Juve’s continued success, but it certainly draws the gap between the league's transfer market activity into focus. The attack will need to make up for the loss of Tevez—who scored 50 goals in 96 games during his two-year stint—and will rely on Dybala, who is arguably the most important of their new arrivals.

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That point was discussed in depth in this previous column, but the Argentinian joins Alvaro Morata, Mandzukic and Zaza in what is still likely to be Serie A’s most prolific attack. Bertolacci and Kondogbia are two headline-grabbing deals, but Khedira will still feature alongside Kwadwo Asamoah, Paul Pogba and Claudio Marchisio in what remains the division’s strongest midfield.

Supported by Pereyra, Stefano Sturaro and Simone Padoin, Allegri has a wealth of options, and the same is undoubtedly true in defence. Angelo Ogbonna has joined West Ham United, and Juve will likely need a left-back to support Patrice Evra if they hope to contend on three fronts once again.

The players who have left will be missed, and Fiorentina, Inter, Lazio, Milan, Napoli and Roma should be proud of the work they have done, but once again Juventus appear to have the advantage. That is as true on the transfer market as it is in the league table, a combination which should lead Allegri and the Bianconeri to a fifth consecutive Serie A crown in 2015/16.