Juventus Transfer Tips: New Leadership Is Vital

This is the first in a series of articles intended to look at Serie A giants Juventus and the improvements they need to make ahead of next season. With the gap to Inter seemingly bigger than ever as the Nerazzurri march to another inevitable scudetto and also make steady progress through the Champions League, it is clear there is much work to be done if the Turin outfit is to return to the summit of Italian football.

Watching the Bianconeri since the arrival of Alberto Zaccheroni as interim coach, you cannot fail to notice the improvement he has made in a relatively short amount of time. Despite this progress, one or two areas are clearly missing vital pieces, and it is these improvements that this series intends to focus upon.

While the defence is in obvious need of an injection of youth, and the striking options remain questionable, this club needs direction and leadership before addressing any other problem area. Signing new players will be crucial, but who will make those signings and who they will play for is the most pressing issue facing the club right now.

If nothing else, the improvement under Zaccheroni shows just how vital an experienced and quality coach can be.

Ask any fan of Juventus who is most to blame for the team's struggles and you will more than likely be told Alessio Secco. The much maligned Sporting Director has overseen the transfers of players who the supporters feel are unworthy of their famous shirt. Indeed for every successful Mohammed Sissoko, Vincenzo Iaquinta or Diego, there has been a larger waste of funds in Christian Poulsen, Tiago, Sergio Almiron, Fabio Cannavaro or Jean-Alain Boumsong.

Roberto Bettega was brought back to the club last year, having been allowed to leave in 2007 as the new administration looked to sever all ties with the old regime. Rectifying that mistake shows a willingness to change, and to put football back as the priority now that the business side of the club has recovered from the effects of the 2006 relegation.

So a new man is needed to take charge of the transfer policy, someone with sound knowledge of the sport, a clear idea of how to make the right decisions, and with the contacts within the game that the current incumbent so obviously lacks.

Pietro Leonardi of Parma, Pantelo Corvino of Fiorentina, Beppe Marotta of Sampdoria and Bari’s Giorgio Perinetti have all been mentioned as possible candidates and all would make a huge difference. Perhaps Corvino or Marotta would be better options as they have experience of larger clubs and budgets, but any of the four are preferable to standing still.

Whoever takes control will need to bring in a manager capable of achieving the goals set out for them. They will need to bring out the best from the current crop of players as Zaccheroni has started to do, incorporate two or three new additions, manage to compete both in Europe and domestically, and bring belief to players and fans alike who are desperate for success. None of this is easy and suitable candidates are in short supply.

Cesare Prandelli is a name linked to Juve's past, and one that continues to be constantly linked with the job. After the manner of Fiorentina's exit from the Champions League he may feel he has unfinished business and stay put, and he has also been linked with replacing Marcello Lippi with the national team.

Rafael Benitez has also been named, but would he really want to take on another fallen giant after his experience at Anfield? Unless he is sacked by Liverpool it would also be too expensive to buy out his lucrative contract.

Which brings us to another candidate with links to Juventus, Genoa's Giampiero Gasperini. The tactician was in charge of the club's youth system for nearly ten years before leaving to coach Crotone then arriving at Genoa. He was born not far from Turin and was a player at the club briefly in the late 1970's.

He has rightly received much praise for the brand of football Genoa have played, while achieving their highest league finish in almost 20 years.

A return to the club is known to interest him, and the chance should not be missed. His brand of football is proven, and he will have no misconceptions about how things work in Turin, nor what is expected of the squad and it's coach.

Other positive points in his favour include the number of Juventus players who will know him and his methods, the way he has incorporated many younger players into his teams, and the fact that he is respected by both supporters and those in the game.

With a new Sporting Director and coach, Juventus can then focus on making the much needed changes to the playing squad, but must do so with a well-devised plan, and with a clear idea of both what they need to achieve and what it will take to get them there.

Only with two compatible men in place can this Juventus move forward, back to where her fans deserve to go.