Sami Khedira set to take centre stage for Juventus after the departures of Arturo Vidal and Andrea Pirlo
Germany and Italy are two of the most prolific nations in football separated by just the country of Austria. Still, not many German players make this tiny voyage from playing in their homeland- or in any other European nation for that matter- to Serie A.
That's why so many football fanatics are wondering if the German number 6 made the right move. Or not. The bittersweet symphony began at the turn of the year when Real dropped him citing minor injuries as the reason after which we saw very little of him.
In May, he accused Real of freezing him out even when he was fit to play. Suddenly everyone knew that he was surplus to requirements. A move away from the Spanish capital was very much on cards, but Turin was the last place anyone expected him to end up at.
Juventus have been very diligent and clever regarding their transfer policies on both ends of the scale. Many football pundits claim the smart investments in the Juve squad to be a very important factor in their re-emergence in the European arena.
Exhibits - Andrea Pirlo on a free transfer from AC Milan, Arturo Vidal from Bayern Leverkusen for only €10.5 million, and much to Manchester United's anguish, making Pogba realise his potential away from Old Trafford.
And they all did brilliant, and so did Juventus. The old lady gave glimpses of her previous self when they reached the final of the Champions league 2014-2015. So it's seemingly not hard for Juventus to convince a player to move to the most supported club in the Italian football. This is what happened with Khedira.
A wonderful present and a promising future
Juventus' success in the last four years on the football field has started to make an impact on the transfer market. Khedira could easily have chosen a German club back home, or he could have landed himself a big money agreement to any of the top four clubs in the BPL, but when it came down to it, he chose the team that gives him the best opportunity to win both domestically and in Europe.
"I told my agent that I wanted a change, as I was tired, even though they were five fantastic years (at Real Madrid). After the World Cup I felt completely exhausted, above all mentally. Now I am back in shape and want to continue enjoying my football. Juve are a fantastic club with a great tradition, a wonderful present and a promising future. I am certain Juventus will have its say in Europe in future and I want to be part of that", the German national Khedira told Football Italia.
Departures of Arturo Vidal (Bayern Munich) and Andrea Pirlo (NYFC) is a blessing in disguise for Khedira. When he signed up to play at the Juventus stadium, he was about to contest his place in possibly the best midfield in all of the Europe, but now after all the buying and selling, he can be certain to play at his central defensive position, and be assured of game time.
The only other player to challenge him for that position is the 18-year-old Colombian, Andres Tello, who recently moved to Juventus from Envigado FC. Sami Khedira can play as a holding midfielder that can be very useful keeping in mind that Juventus loves to control possession in opposition half.
Marshalling the midfield
But he is best utilised as a box to box player, something that was missing with Andrea Pirlo. What he lacks in skill and technique when compared to Pirlo and Vidal, he certainly makes up for it with his work rate.
His keenness to play short passes and not to indulge in unnecessary tackles comply with everything Juventus wants in a defensive midfielder sans the extravagantly beautiful long balls Pirlo used to play. But compensating for that, he can tackle, intercept the passes and make late runs into the opposition penalty box and that will come in handy.
Moreover, he is only 28 years old and has a lot of football left in him. He can play at the base of a diamond formation or behind the attacking midfielder. He will also provide Juventus a possibility of a 3-4-1-2 formation, which we can see in action with the like of Mandzukic and Dybala coming in.
Khedira has had a tough season last year which was made worse with all the injuries. He played only 296 minutes last season and he certainly will be a little low on confidence. But he is an experienced customer and he will look forward to this season and get back to loving his football again.