5 players Juventus could have signed to replace Cristiano Ronaldo
Juventus were dealt a massive blow when they lost the services of legendary Portuguese forward Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer of 2021. A player in the mold of the Portuguese superstar is impossible to find and with his consistent goal returns, Ronaldo is virtually a unicorn in the game. He has scored consistently throughout his career and a guaranteed goal scorer of his caliber will be missed at any club.
There is now a massive goal and leadership gap in Turin following Ronaldo’s departure. The Portuguese forward broke the record for the fastest player to reach 100 goals for the club. He scored an impressive 101 goals in just 131 appearances for the Old Lady of Turin.
Juventus have played 6 Supercoppa Italiana in the last 6 years and won only 2 of them
Cristiano Ronaldo scored the winner in both Finals and was MOTM 🐐 https://t.co/lGDUXSSriT
The absence of these goals has seen Juventus drop back down shockingly in the Serie A standings. The Turin-based club have gone from guaranteed winners to a team struggling to qualify for the Champions League since his departure. The regrettable slump could’ve been avoided with smart acquisitions.
However, the goals and influence could’ve been adequately replaced by the Serie A giants. Despite Ronaldo being a once in a lifetime player, here are five talented stars who could've mimicked his involvement in Turin:
#5 Moise Kean | Everton (on loan at Juve)
He is a bit of a misnomer as he does currently play for Juventus. However, he is only here on loan. Juventus' timing with signing, selling and loaning him is why his name is on this list.
The young star played for the Old Lady before making the switch to Everton. The Bianconeri could certainly have considered buying him back permanently to cover Cristiano Ronaldo’s open slot.
Kean previously joined the Old Lady from Torino, where he became the club’s big potential star. However, the young Italian wonderkid didn’t have a set spot in the starting lineup. He ended up going on loan to other Italian clubs before getting sold to Everton in 2019.
Although Moise Kean played more games for the Toffees than he did for the Bianconeri, his goalscoring stalled in England as well. Everton eventually loaned him to PSG where he flourished last season, scoring 13 goals in 26 Ligue 1 games.
Juventus did quickly snatch him up on loan again this season, and he has scored two goals in his last four starts for the club. Kean continues to make mainly substitute appearances for the Italian giants, which hasn’t been ideal for him to shine.
He needs to be given the identity to be the main forward and he has the potential to be great for Juventus.
#4 Timo Werner | Chelsea
With Romelu Lukaku leaving Inter Milan for Chelsea last summer, many expected Timo Werner taking the back seat for the Belgian international. Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel has certainly felt the same way, with Werner starting just six Premier League games this season. His return of one goal in those six starts hardly portrays the figure of a confident, clinical striker that he once was at RB Leipzig.
Timo Werner can't believe the support Chelsea fans give him 😅 https://t.co/grEupBvox4
During his time in Germany, Werner flourished, scoring 28 goals in just 34 games for Red Bull Leipzig. Chelsea were quick to trigger his release clause, but his debut season saw the German star fall below expectations. With Werner set to compete for a slot in the first team while struggling to build his confidence, a change of location might have done the trick.
Juventus need someone who can run the channels for them and has the speed to get behind the defence. Werner's game would have been ideal for that.