Did Juventus overpay for Cristiano Ronaldo and Neymar? Despite the recent controversies surrounding Maurizio Sarri’s dismissal and Neymar’s move to Paris Saint-Germain, there’s still a lot of uncertainty surrounding the ‘CR7 Project’ at Juventus. Hopefully this article will shed some light on the issue. Also, read the full article to find out if the move to Paris Saint-Germain was a good move for Juventus.
Juventus overpaid for Cristiano Ronaldo
Did Juventus overpay for Cristiano Ronaldo, the Portuguese forward? The question is a good one, given that Juventus have failed to compete with PSG for their best player. However, Juventus’ failure to attract a top player to Turin may not be the only reason for their lack of success. The club’s financial woes have to do with the way they have spent their money and the inability to match the wages of the best players in Europe.
The fact is that Juventus are struggling financially since the Covid-19 outbreak in the summer. They spent over a hundred million euros to sign CR7 and were not rewarded accordingly. The player has since shown signs of wanting to leave and has put personal interests before the club’s interest. This was the biggest mistake for Juventus, and their failure to sell him was a major blow. It has been difficult to rebuild the team after losing such a high-profile player.
Juve have signed four new players in the summer, including defender Arthur from Barcelona and midfielder Alvaro Morata. Another midfielder, Chiesa, has been brought in from Fiorentina, where he scored ten goals last season. Pirlo, however, will likely be able to rely on Paulo Dybala, who started the Champions League game against Barcelona.
Neymar’s move to Paris Saint-Germain
Upon joining PSG in 2017, Neymar became the most expensive player in soccer history. He signed a five-year, $784,000-a-week deal with the club, making him the second-highest paid player in the world, behind Carlos Tevez. Since joining PSG, Neymar has scored 51 goals in 58 games, helping the club win two successive Ligue 1 titles. But since then, the Brazilian has been largely absent, ineffective and expensive.
The move stunned football fans around the world and broke the previous transfer record. However, PSG had to pay Neymar’s salary and other costs through an insurer, which could have led to higher insurance premiums for both parties. Neymar is still the world’s most expensive player, but his time at the Parc des Princes looks like it is drawing to a close.
It’s not clear how much PSG will gain from the deal, but the Brazilian has proven that he is a match-winning player. In fact, PSG struggled to sell him last season, which could mean that he won’t be available for the foreseeable future. But PSG are still keen to keep Neymar in their ranks because he is still a vital player for them. Despite Neymar’s expensive injury record, he is still a match-winning player, and PSG are a bit worried about losing him to Juventus.
In terms of the player’s future, Juventus are also open to a swap deal. The five-time Ballon d’Or winner has a contract with Juventus until 2022, so Juventus are prepared to part with him if Neymar becomes available. A potential swap deal would involve both parties being released from their respective contracts at the same time.
Juventus’ ‘CR7 Project’
It’s no secret that Juventus have struggled financially in recent years. Despite the massive wage packet that Ronaldo has received from the club, the team still lost a large amount of money last season. The lockout and subsequent financial meltdown reduced matchday revenue by around EUR30 million, but the team has seen an increase in merchandise income of 58%. The price tag of a single Juventus jersey has increased from EUR40 million to EUR101 million.
While the club is not as financially troubled as Barcelona, they are not immune to the pandemic implications of signing young players. The only new signing this summer has been Weston McKennie, but he was a loan deal. Nevertheless, Juventus may yet sign Sassuolo’s Manuel Locatelli, who is worth EUR35 million (£28m) and PS30m. This shows that the club is focusing on the future and not just the present.
In the summer of 2014, Juventus sold most of the nucleus that had helped them reach two Champions League finals in three years. As a result, several key players such as Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci and Gianluigi Buffon had already moved on. The club then spent an unprecedented EUR 250 million on the ‘CR7 Project’ to replace Ronaldo. However, the ‘CR7 Project’ hasn’t gone to plan. It has left fans angry and disappointed and is unlikely to succeed.
Maurizio Sarri’s dismissal
After spending several seasons at Chelsea and winning the Europa League, Maurizio Sarri has been sacked as the manager of the Blues, and with good reason. It’s no secret that Sarri was a big fan of the Portuguese striker, who is a perennial Ballon d’Or contender. He was previously at Napoli, and his work with Jorginho helped him become an underrated Englishman. But Sarri hasn’t spent enough time with Jorginho to completely write him off.
The former Chelsea manager had a controversial past at Juventus, and once showed fans in a satirical manner. He also wore a suit to his introductory press conference – a change of style from his casual sideline looks. After the Coppa Italia final, however, Sarri’s name became trending on Twitter. He also had a big job ahead of him. Juventus are currently in the last 16 of the Champions League, and Maurizio Sarri’s dismissal is unlikely to sway their final standing.
Despite Maurizio Sarri’s dismissment from Chelsea, many people are still unsure about the future of Cristiano Ronaldo. Although Juventus reportedly offered a new contract to Ronaldo, the Portuguese has not yet signed it. It was widely reported that the player has asked for a contract extension, but that was not the case. However, the recent reports have made it look like a major blow to Juventus.
Juventus’ Champions League exit
Juve gambled EUR340m (PS290m), or $400m, on signing Cristiano Ronaldo. Since the Portugal international arrived, Juventus has never made the quarter-finals of the Champions League. They also have not beaten any European heavyweights. In fact, this season, the Italian champions lost to Ajax, Lyon and Porto. But is all this worth it? Let’s take a closer look.
Juve’s new signing, Chiesa, must earn his keep at Juventus. A three-year contract should give Juventus the money they need to cover his wages. Juventus may have overpaid for Cristiano Ronaldo, but he is expected to earn more than Juventus paid for him. After all, the striker is Juventus’ top scorer this season. Even though Juventus overpaid for the Portugal international, his wages are still far higher than the average of other Italian footballers.
Aside from being a rival of Real Madrid, Juventus also have a similar history in Europe. While Juventus have not won the Champions League in the past five years, they have played in two finals. Ronaldo has been a key component of Juventus’ recent success. Aside from scoring goals, the Portuguese international has also helped the club reach the Champions League final. Despite the contrasting circumstances, Juventus’ stance on the Portuguese forward is sound.
The club has faced financial difficulties ever since the Covid-19 outbreak. They paid more than 100 million euros for Ronaldo in the summer of 2018 in transfer fees. Despite this, he earns just 57 million euros per season. Juve gambled on European success to lift their club’s status. Unfortunately, they have not managed to reach the quarterfinals since acquiring Cristiano Ronaldo. So what should they do now?
Federico Chiesa’s future at Juventus
It looks as though Federico Chiesa’s future with Juventus has been confirmed, though it remains unclear whether he will start the match against AC Milan. The 23-year-old was in impressive form during the regular season but suffered a cruciate ligament injury in January and has not played since. Chiesa is still recovering and hopes to be back in action for Juventus in the autumn. It is also unclear whether Juventus will hand Chiesa the number 10 shirt, but Allegri said he is looking at it from a tactical standpoint.
According to reports, Fiorentina owner Rocco Commisso has softened his stance on the Italian forward’s future. The Argentinian has six goals and three assists in 23 Serie A appearances this season, and his valuation could reach nine figures before too long. While he is a young player, he is a good building block for Juventus’ future.
The Italian international joined Juventus on a loan deal last season from Fiorentina and was then a hot topic of speculation. Many hoped he would make a quick move to Juventus, but injury has hampered his progress. Nonetheless, he did prove himself as one of the most valuable signings for Juventus in recent seasons. Even though Juventus did not want to sell Chiesa, Romano claims the Italians are determined not to let him leave.
