Has Alex Sandro Lived Up to His €26 Million Price Tag?

Last summer, prompted by the exits of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez, Juventus embarked on a dramatic overhaul of their squad, making a raft of new signings to provide coach Massimiliano Allegri with a variety of options.

As a result, 2015/16 would see no fewer than 11 players make their debuts for the Bianconeri to varying degrees of success. Paulo Dybala weighed in with a stunning return of 23 goals and nine assists in all competitions, while Sami Khedira added some much-needed veteran leadership in midfield after those aforementioned exits.

It took time for the group to jell, with such an influx of talent always likely to see the team lack coherency in the early weeks. Reflecting on the campaign as a whole, however, it is difficult to argue with the notion that—right behind Dybala—Alex Sandro must be regarded as one of the club’s most astute purchases.

While many of the players who came in were direct replacements for those who opted to move on, this signing hinted at a different approach, making a significant outlay despite the presence of established veteran Patrice Evra in the starting XI.

With the France international now 35 years old, it is clear he cannot be relied upon much longer, yet it was still surprising to see Juve’s official website reveal that the Italian champions had paid FC Porto a sum of €26 million for the Brazilian left-back.

Speaking at his first press conference in Turin, however, Sandro gave reporters his opinion on the move and what it meant for him personally, openly admitting that he had much to learn about playing at the highest level:

"

Juventus was the perfect choice for me. Coming here will help me to grow as both a person and player. As a team, we're working hard and will strive to win all the competitions we're involved in this season.

Serie A is a tough league and the most tactical in the world. I am sure that the experience will improve me as a footballer. I always give 100% to win. I'm confident I'll be able to show my qualities both during games and on the training pitch.

"

Signing a five-year contract, it was clear that this was a long-term investment by the Bianconeri, yet by late October, he had surprisingly started just four matches in all competitions. Then, on the 31st of that month, Sandro would have his first tangible impact for his new side, and his emergence would coincide with a huge upturn in the club’s fortunes.

Sent on as an 87th minute substitute, Allegri would ask him to play in front of Evra wide on the left, and just before the final whistle, Paul Pogba would pick him out with a neat pass that the Brazilian would instantly fire across the box.

Juan Cuadrado—who had also come off the bench to try turn the match—would bundle the ball home, sparking a winning run from which the Old Lady would never look back. Sandro would sit out the next two games but be handed another start against AC Milan, where he once again laid on the winning goal as Dybala smashed his pass into the back of the net.

Four days later, Sandro would repeat the feat, this time delivering a perfect cross for Mario Mandzukic to bag the only goal of the game against Manchester City, prompting a clearly delighted Allegri to praise his display during a post-match interview with Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia):

"

Alex Sandro did very well this evening and he is an excellent signing. Players like him need to be allowed to settle in, as nobody is ready to give their best in a new environment straight away. He did well in attack and defence, while Patrice Evra guaranteed experience in a delicate moment of the match.

"

Reflecting on those three games himself during an interview with the club’s in-house television channel JTV, Sandro would in turn pass the credit back to those who had helped him to settle into life on the peninsula.

“I’m delighted to have set up some crucial goals for my team-mates in this run and I’m always looking to improve both defensively and offensively,” the Brazilian said, per the club’s official website when asked about that period. “Credit for that must go to the technical staff here who have helped me advance my game enormously already.” 

Suddenly the choice between Evra and Sandro was not quite so easy for Allegri, but he balanced the full-back issue intelligently, pairing Cuadrado with Evra and Sandro with Stephan Lichtsteiner in Juve’s 3-5-2 formation, each duo bringing similar attributes as one player held back as the other pressed forward.

That was fine in Serie A as the Bianconeri racked up the victories, but in the Champions League where the team needed a little more impetus, the former Milan boss reverted to the Lichtsteiner-Evra pairing that had served him so well a year earlier.

It is here where the price tag of Sandro truly comes to the fore, because in terms of sheer numbers, it is difficult to justify such an expensive player making just 15 league starts. Yet that is to do a huge disservice to Evra, who—aside from an uncharacteristic error against Bayern Munich—was excellent throughout the campaign.

ODD ANDERSEN/Getty Images

His performances made Allegri’s decision to field the older man understandable, but that should not overshadow the contribution of Sandro in his debut campaign.

He was clearly enjoying life in Turin, too, as he went on to say in that aforementioned interview with JTV: “I feel I am really getting to grips with Italian football and all the tactical, mental and physical changes that it demands of you. Thanks to the coach, I’m learning something different about the way the game is played here every day in training and that will only continue in the future.”

squawka.com

That is supported by statistics provided by WhoScored.com, as their figures show he averaged an impressive 2.0 tackles, 1.9 interceptions and 1.6 clearances per game over 33 appearances in all competitions.

He netted two goals and his final assist tally stood at just four, but the graphic below—taken from the Squawka website—shows that only Dybala, Pogba and Cuadrado created more goalscoring opportunities this term for Juventus.

squawka.com

Clearly a vibrant attacking force, Sandro’s defence has been solid and dependable, making him a perfect replacement for Evra as he ages and an ideal fit for a team built upon the quality of their back line.

“I’m happy with the faith Allegri has shown in me,” Sandro said in an interview with Sky Italia last month (h/t Juventus' website). “I’ve developed thanks to the help of the boss and my team-mates, but I’ve still got plenty of room for improvement - physically, tactically and going forward.”

That is a frightening prospect for opponents but a major bonus for the Bianconeri as they prepare for the challenges next season will bring. Sandro has been important this term, but it is the promise he holds for the future that will see him live up to his hefty-but-fair €26 million price tag.