What Gonzalo Higuain Will Add to Juventus in 2016/17

With just a brief note on their official website, Juventus further extended their dominance over their Serie A rivals and simultaneously served notice that their bid for UEFA Champions League success should now be taken seriously.

“Juventus Football Club can today confirm that it has purchased the registration rights of Gonzalo Higuain for €90 million,” it read, going on to reveal that the player had agreed a five-year contract with the club.

The deal had already been discussed publicly for a week until that point, and Juventus fans were clearly overjoyed at the move. They gathered in large numbers at both Turin airport and at the stadium to welcome their newest signing, cheering loudly when he finally appeared and met them.

It was news that was far less well-received at his former club, however. Napoli owner and president Aurelio De Laurentiis left little doubt as to his feelings on the matter during an interview with the Corriere dello Sport (h/t Football Italia):

"

Half an hour after we were informed by Juventus that they intended to pay the clause, we started planning our future. We understood, ever since the first statements released by Higuain's brother [and agent], that we risked having to look for a new striker.

But we didn't seriously expect him to leave, nor that he'd erase his three years in Naples in this manner. Some believe that talking of a betrayal is an exaggeration, but I think differently. In this move there is the full meaning of a betrayal, which includes ingratitude.

"

Yet that is now merely a side issue for the Bianconeri, with the most pressing concern being Higuain’s ability to settle quickly into his new surroundings. In order to reach their collective goals, Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri will need to integrate the Argentina international into what was a settled starting XI with as little drama or delay as possible.

The coach’s default formation last term was the 3-5-2 that has been part of the Old Lady’s sustained domination over the past five seasons, but that will mean Higuain will need to adapt to playing with a strike partner.

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At Real Madrid, Napoli and even with his national team, the 29-year-old will have grown accustomed to being the lone frontman in a 4-3-3 framework, and a failed experiment last term appeared to hint at a potential issue.

Arriving at the club from Empoli, coach Maurizio Sarri attempted to use the same 4-3-1-2 setup that had brought him success in Tuscany by fielding Jose Callejon alongside Higuain with Lorenzo Insigne behind them.

It was a disaster. Napoli took just two points from their opening three matches as the players struggled with the changes, conceding six goals while looking out of sorts. Yet while the team laboured, Higuain was not finding the system a problem, netting four times in those outings to begin his record-setting season.

Sarri would shift back to a three-man front line, and the striker continued to flourish, ending 2015/16 by setting a new Serie A single-season mark for goals with 36 in just 35 league appearances.

Allegri will hope to see him thrive in tandem with fellow Argentinian Paulo Dybala, and Higuain told Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia) shortly after completing his medical that he had already spoken to his compatriot:

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I already knew him before I came here, from the national team. We’re friends and I’m happy to be here with him. He told me that Juve is a great team and a great family and I’ll get on well here. Thank you for coming to see me, and we hope to do great things this year.

"

With 21 goals and 10 assists to his name, Dybala adapted well following his own move from Palermo last summer, even as he was asked to play in a much deeper role than he previously had.

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Indeed, his league tally of 19 goals was only bettered by Higuain, and the two of them together is a mouthwatering prospect. Dybala showed he can be a hugely creative force, leading all Juventus players by laying on 73 scoring chances per the Squawka graphic shown above.

There is no better player to take advantage of those opportunities than Higuain, whose entire 2015/16 campaign was a lesson in clinical finishing. According to statistics taken from WhoScored.com, he led Serie A with 5.2 shots per game, an average that was 1.6 attempts more than any other player.

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Yet he certainly did not waste those chances, as the above graphic shows. He hit the target with an impressive 58 percent of his shots and constantly keeping opposition goalkeepers busy as he peppered them repeatedly.

But Juventus will expect even more from Higuain in 2016/17. The Bianconeri have made little secret of their desire for Champions League success, and this huge outlay will be seen as the next step in their return to prominence.

Last season saw Sarri rest his star man during Napoli’s Europa League campaign, but Higuain boasts a solid record in UEFA’s top competition. As the Opta tweet above explained, he has been involved in nine goals in his last 10 outings and overall has netted 13 career strikes in the Champions League.

According to Transfermarkt, he has averaged a goal every 230 minutes in that competition, a scoring rate he will need to improve if he is to fire the Bianconeri to the glory they so dearly crave.

Eric Gay/Associated Press

“I’m glad to be here and I hope we have a great season,” he told Sky Italia (h/t Football Italia) after the move was announced. “We have the team to do it, we have a great club and we hope to make the fans happy,”

“The Champions League?” Higuain continued in that same interview. “Hopefully; the important thing now is to work and stay calm, as well as arriving at the start of the season in the best possible shape.”

That will include learning the systems chosen by Allegri as soon as possible, as El Pipita is now expected to help deliver the ultimate glory for Italian football’s grand Old Lady.