What does Sami Khedira's arrival mean for Juventus' midfield?

Juventus have moved to strengthen accordingly this summer already. The long-awaited capture of Paulo Dybala was confirmed last week, while the Old Lady followed that up with the signing of Sami Khedira on Tuesday. The Champions League runners' up have certainly wasted no time in their bid to bolster their ranks for next season. However, the one downside of Khedira’s capture is that the gossip columns will now be adorned with the potential departures from the Juventus Stadium over the coming months. 

Paul Pogba, Arturo Vidal, Andrea Pirlo and Claudio Marchisio - Juventus’ midfield diamond - have all been subject to speculation over their respective futures during the last 12 months. Pogba and Vidal in particular are regularly linked with moves away from Turin and it goes without saying that on the back of Khedira’s arrival, talk will intensify regarding transfers away from the club involving the duo. However, any such reports should be taken with a pinch of salt.

Khedira’s arrival is a real signal of intent for Juventus. It’s fair to say that Italy’s best just got better. Having secured a domestic double, they will now aim to launch another assault on the treble in the upcoming campaign after falling at the final hurdle to deserving victors Barcelona in Berlin.

The arrival of the German only swells Juventus’ midfield ranks, which is clearly teeming with talent. A lack of first team action during his final season with Real Madrid - Khedira made just 3 league starts last term - effectively forced him out of the Bernabeu exit door and into the welcoming arms of Max Allegri and co. 

Effectively, Khedira is not in the midfield to perform the spectacular, leaving as much to the likes of Pogba or Vidal. He won’t make the same lung-busting runs from deep as Marchisio and his game is different to that of Pirlo, in that the Italian instead looks to spread play with his vast range of passing.

However, Khedira will likely battle for a starting berth with the veteran given the position the pair play. A robust midfielder who utilises his physicality to break up play with aplomb (when handed the opportunity to do so), the 28-year-old is expected to be tasked with shielding the defence when called on. 

It would be harsh to focus on Khedira’s stats from last season as a primary example given his lack of game time for Real Madrid, instead looking at his performances for Los Blancos in his debut season in Spain as a reference point. In his 5 league seasons in Spain, Khedira's best WhoScored rating (7.00) came in the 2010/11 campaign, where he averaged 1.9 tackles and 2.1 interceptions per game. 

Given Madrid’s superiority in so many La Liga matches, this is a respectable return for the Germany international. Juventus’ dominance means Khedira will not be required to regularly exhibit this facet of his game either, but shows how capable a performer he is when needs must. It’s a different approach to Pirlo in the midfield, so suggesting Khedira is now a direct replacement for the Italy international is wide of the mark. 

The 36-year-old has been central in Juventus’ return to the summit of Italian football and, contrary to popular belief, is not about to be condemned to the scrap yard, despite his advancing years. Rather, Allegri now has at his disposal an alternate option to perform the holding duties. When the going gets tough, particularly in Europe, the Italian manager can call on Khedira to solidify the midfield. 

His primary objective, as with any holding midfielder, is to retain and recycle possession and Khedira has proven he is capable of doing so, having averaged an 85.3% pass success rate in the league during his 5 seasons with Madrid. Nevertheless, that is unlikely to see him leapfrog Pirlo in the pecking order as it would result in Juventus being forced to tinker their game plan in order to counter the absence of the veteran midfielder.

Rather, Khedira’s arrival is likely to signal Romûlo’s end to a short Juventus career, with the club unlikely to activate the buy out clause in his contract due to a lack of playing time and injury problems. Youngster Stefano Sturaro, who played a starring role in Juventus’ semi final first leg win over Real Madrid, could also feel the effects of Khedira’s arrival. The 22-year-old’s development may well be stunted by the acquisition of the German, though a counter argument is that Sturaro could learn from his new teammate and improve his own game. 

Either way, the signing of Khedira is a sound investment by Juventus. What does it mean for the likes of Pogba and Vidal, however? To cut a long story short, nothing. The former may leave in the foreseeable future, but Khedira’s arrival will in no means force Juventus’ hand to sell either of the two.

A midfield brimming with quality has been strengthened by the arrival of the Germany international and neither Allegri nor the club are likely to allow the position to be weakened after Khedira put pen to paper with the Italian champions.