Realistic Expectations for Simone Zaza at Juventus in 2015/16

Among the summer signings made by Juventus, Simone Zaza arguably tops any list of the most difficult to understand, with Juve’s official website showing they handed his former club Sassuolo an €18 million fee. It is hard to grasp what to expect from the 24-year-old this season, particularly given the rumours that plagued him until the transfer window closed.

Indeed, since joining the Bianconeri on July 7, the striker has been the subject of endless speculation he would be sold on. It began with talk of a loan move to either West Ham or Marseille, according to Italian transfer specialist Gianluca Di Marzio, per Football Italia.

Even after those proposed moves collapsed, the same journalist reported that Arsenal made a late bid for Zaza (h/t Football Italia), only to have that approach rejected. Having sent Fernando Llorente to Sevilla, Juventus are believed to have quoted a price of €30 million to the Premier League side in order to deter them.

Beyond that, just arriving in Turin marks the end of a long journey to the top for the striker, and it has not been made without issues. Having bounced around a raft of minor clubs, his form with Sampdoria grabbed the attention of Juventus, spending €3.5 million to buy Zaza back in July 2013.

They immediately sent him to Eusebio Di Francesco’s Sassuolo, with the club and coach proving the ideal platform to provide Zaza with some much-needed top-flight experience. The newly promoted Neroverdi showcased the talents of their exciting group of young players, and while Domenico Berardi may have grabbed the spotlight, there is no doubting the impact made by his team-mate.

In 2013/14, Zaza weighed in with nine goals and a two assists in his 34 appearances to help the club avoid relegation. Matching the latter tally but netting twice more last season, the 24-year-old proved it was no fluke, although a midseason slump caused Di Francesco to voice concern.

“I’m not happy with talk surrounding Zaza, it makes him less focused,” the Sassuolo boss said to Sky Sport (h/t Forza Italian Football) and the player confessed to La Presse that talk of a move to Juventus had distracted him.

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“I really struggled during those moments,” Zaza said (h/t Football Italia). “I didn’t want to know anything that was happening. I was isolated and tried to focus only on doing well for Sassuolo, but whether you want to or not, these things get into your brain.”

He was clearly happy to finally make that switch this summer, telling reporters at his inaugural press conference that “playing for a big club like Juventus is a dream come true for me. Now I need to get my head down and become the top player I aspire to be. It’s a step up I’ve always wanted to make, joining a big club is every player’s ambition, and it’s down to me to prove I’m up to the task.”

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That is now what lies ahead and looking realistically at the situation, the club will compete on three fronts, meaning Zaza can expect to make around 20-25 appearances in all competitions, with perhaps eight to 10 goals being an achievable target for his debut campaign.

His path to the starting XI will not be easy given the wealth of attacking options available to Allegri. The Bianconeri coach can not only call upon fellow new arrivals Paolo Dybala and Mario Mandzukic, but he can also opt to use Alvaro Morata or an extra midfielder should he so choose.

It will not be easy, but if Simone Zaza can maintain his concentration and focus, he could have more impact that many might initially expect.