Why Neto Is the Keeper Juventus Should Use to Replace Gianluigi Buffon

The 2015/16 season has seen Juventus renew their squad and still win the Serie A title. The club added a fifth-consecutive Scudetto despite the departures of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez.

Sami Khedira—like the first of that trio—has brought the experience and class expected of a World Cup winner, while Paul Pogba has stepped up to replace Vidal after his hasty decision to join Bayern Munich following Chile’s Copa America win.

Yet perhaps the most surprising player to emerge this season was Paulo Dybala, the Argentinian striker ensuring that even his compatriot Tevez was never truly missed in Turin. Elsewhere, the likes of Daniele Rugani and Mario Lemina have developed as viable alternatives for the veterans ahead of them in defence and midfield.

This evolution of the squad has been incredibly impressive, yet the one man who remains irreplaceable in coach Massimiliano Allegri’s starting XI is undoubtedly captain and goalkeeper Gigi Buffon.

Despite now being 38 years old, the Italy skipper has arguably enjoyed one of the best seasons of his long and storied career, setting a new Serie A record for minutes without conceding a goal—per the tweet above—and consecutive clean sheets (10).

Indeed, Buffon has recorded 26 shutouts in all competitions this term, while statistics provided by Fox Soccer show he has made 72 saves in Serie A alone and has been universally praised for his contribution from team-mates and opponents alike.

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“Buffon is the greatest goalkeeper in the history of football,” Juve striker Alvaro Morata told a press conference back in March. “On top of all that, he is also a wonderful person, both on and off the field. I am extremely lucky to get the chance to play with him.

Meanwhile, having seen him make some sensational saves in a 2-1 victory over Milan that ultimately cost Rossoneri boss Sinisa Mihajlovic his job, the coach told Sky Sport Italia (h/t ESPN FC) that “Buffon made the difference, and I cannot blame my players for anything.”

Speaking at an event in January (h/t Football Italia), Buffon stated a desire to play until the 2018 World Cup, yet Juventus may already have signed the ideal man to replace him after adding Norberto Neto to the squad last summer.

The 26-year-old arrived after his contract with former club Fiorentina expired, and the Brazilian has made five appearances for the Turin giants. His debut saw the Bianconeri held to a shock 1-1 draw with Frosinone back in September, but he recovered to keep three consecutive clean sheets in the Coppa Italia.

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The second-leg of the semi-final against Inter saw him play an ill-advised pass to Hernanes that handed Inter a route back into the tie despite trailing by three goals, only to make some wonderful stops to deny Ivan Perisic a winner and ensure his side eventually won through in a penalty shootout.

That lack of playing time has led to speculation he may move on as La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) reported last week that Neto may be sent out on loan and replaced with Paris Saint-Germain reserve Salvatore Sirigu.

However, Juventus should hope those reports are untrue, as Neto appears intent on proving that he is the perfect man to take over from Buffon, explaining to Tauan Ambrosio of Goal.com that was the exact reason he joined the Old Lady:

"

It's what I came here for. I came to Juventus to be part of the group, it's one of the five, ten greatest clubs in the world. It's the coach's decision as to whether I play or not, but I'm always ready.

I have a good relationship with Gigi, everyone knows he's a great professional and a wonderful person. To be able to learn from him day after day is a massive advantage to my growth as an athlete.

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So, rather than explore the transfer market for an alternative, Juventus should look a little closer to home as Neto appears to be perfectly placed to first learn from Buffon and, eventually, take over when the iconic goalkeeper hangs up his gloves for good.