Why Roberto Pereyra Will Be an Important Figure for Juventus in 2015/16

Amid the conversation about the transfers completed by Juventus this summer, the name of Roberto Pereyra is somewhat overlooked. That is perhaps understandable, with more well-known players like World Cup winner Sami Khedira or former Bayern Munich star Mario Mandzukic rightly commanding attention.

With the €32 million fee spent to sign Paulo Dybala—per the club’s official website—also propelling his name to the fore, the deal for Pereyra falls even further down the list of talking points. Yet given his impact while on loan with the Bianconeri in 2014/15, the 24-year-old should arguably be more widely lauded.

He arrived from Udinese in July last year, a somewhat underwhelming addition as the Stadio Friuli club received a €1.5 million fee for the 12-month loan, according to the Juventus website, with a fixed price of €14 million agreed in order to make the move be made permanent.

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6 & 57 - Roberto Pereyra made the most assists (6) and created the most chances (57) among Udinese players in the last Serie A season. Flair

— OptaPaolo (@OptaPaolo) July 21, 2014"

Per the same source, that has now been paid, and looking at Pereyra’s impact last season, it is impossible not to see that investment as being excellent value for money. Alongside Claudio Marchisio, he made more Serie A appearances (35) than any other player at the club, playing in a total of 52 matches in all competitions.

He recorded four goals and three assists in the league, playing in a variety of positions to provide cover wherever Massimiliano Allegri needed it. Pereyra featured mostly behind the forwards in what the coach described to La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) as a “4-3-and then we’ll see” formation.

The former River Plate man also saw time in the midfield trio in a variety of tactical setups, and even filled in occasionally as a wing-back when the Juventus boss reverted to a 3-5-2 framework. Wherever he was deployed, he always gave maximum effort and was surprisingly effective defensively as he followed the example set by the tenacious Carlos Tevez.

Jon Super/Associated Press

His effort without the ball was not reflected statistically however, with WhoScored.com showing he averaged just 0.6 tackles and 0.7 interceptions per game. Yet watching Juventus last term, there is no denying the impact Pereyra's work rate made as he helped Allegri’s side disrupt opponents and quickly transition defence back into attack.

Indeed, it was in that phase of play where the pacey midfielder shone brightest, showing a high level of control when on the ball and intelligence when running off it. Averaging 1.6 completed dribbles per game—the third highest among Juve regulars, according to WhoScored—Pereyra’s direct style was missed whenever he was not in the side.

That ability saw him make his international debut last October, impressing Gerardo Martino enough to earn a place in the Argentina squad that reached this summer’s Copa America final. One area of his game in need of improvement is when he finds himself in front of goal, with figures from Squawka.com showing he hit the target with just 43 percent of his shots last term.

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Pereyra's goal. Mamma Mia https://t.co/DrPfFjhqV2

— Khaled Al Nouss (@KhaledAlNouss) May 30, 2015"

The finish above—from the final game of 2014/15 against Hellas Verona—shows just what he is capable of, and there is little doubt his first 12 months with the Bianconeri have been incredible. The Super Cup victory last weekend means he has now lifted three trophies in that period, also collecting runners-up medals in the Champions League and Copa America.

When he first moved to Turin he identified a perfect role model, telling reporters at his inaugural press conference of his admiration for Mauro Camoranesi. Pereyra went on to call his predecessor “a fine player” and expressed a desire “to follow in his footsteps here.”

The departure of Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo—the latter a World Cup winner alongside Camoranesi in 2006—is likely to see Allegri demand more from Pereyra, ensuring he will be an important figure for Juventus in 2015/16.