5 most disappointing Juventus signings of the last decade
Juventus have made a lot of shrewd signings in the last decade. Known as the king of free transfers, Juventus have signed the likes of Andrea Pirlo, Paul Pogba, Sami Khedira and Kingsley Coman for nothing in the last few years.
The Bianconeri have made some brilliant transfers that have allowed them to succeed on the pitch without spending a lot. That has also helped them build up the club's portfolio to expand worldwide and make some handsome profits. This was a key factor behind their acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo from Real Madrid for €112 million in 2018.
Like most clubs around the world, though, the Old Lady have not always been spot on in the transfer market, and have signed some players who failed to live up to expectations. On that note, here are five such signings made by Juventus in the last decade:
#5 Eljero Elia
Juventus had high hopes on completing the €5.5 million signing of Hamburg winger Eljero Elia in 2011. The Dutchman signed a four-year contract, and it looked like he would have a bright future in Turin. However, things panned out differently for the player.
The then Juventus manager Antonio Conte wasn't much of a big fan of the youngster and reportedly went the entire 2011-12 season without uttering a single word to the new arrival.
Because of that, Elia's time on the pitch was very short throughout the season, as he made just five appearances in all competitions. And it looked like the Dutchman's confidence was shattered due to his poor relationship with Conte.
So it wasn't a surprise when he handed in a transfer request shortly after completing his only season at the Old Lady.
The Dutchman went on to have subsequent spells at Werder Bremen and Feyenoord and is currently a free agent after cancelling his contract with FC Utrecht in the Eredivisie.
#4 Marko Pjaca
Marko Pjaca's signing was warmly greeted by the Bianconeri faithful in 2016. After the Croatian international arrived from Dinamo Zagreb for €18 million, there were great hopes from the young and pacey winger.
Five years later, though, Pjaca has made only 26 appearances for Juventus. He had subsequent loan spells at Schalke 04, Fiorentina and Anderlecht, but the winger failed to impress at any of them. However, he was sent to Genoa last season, where he was a regular starter, playing 38 games.
The Croatian has been sent on loan again to Torino for the upcoming season with a reported option to buy between €5 million and €7 million.