Allegri identifies Bentancur and Kulusevski replacements following move to Tottenham
Juventus coach Max Allegri has outlined how his side will replace the departed duo, Dejan Kulusevski and Rodrigo Bentancur.
The Old Lady allowed the Swedish winger and Uruguayan central midfielder to depart for Tottenham Hotspur in the January transfer window. The latter brought in a potential £21.5m with Tottenham paying Juve £15.8m upfront, with £5.7m due in possible add-ons. Kulusevski left on an 18-month loan deal for a loan fee of £8.3m with an obligation to buy for £29.2m if criteria are met.
Ahead of his side’s Coppa Italia clash against Sassuolo, Allegri spoke about how his side will replace those two players. He said in his pre-match interview, carried by Football Italia: “Bentancur left, but we signed [Denis] Zakaria, who is a very good footballer.
“Arthur is also improving, he played very well on Sunday, he’s like a child, always running behind the ball. Sometimes he has to handle himself a little bit more, but he put in a great performance against Hellas Verona. He has extraordinary technical abilities.
“I can pick Arthur, [Manuel] Locatelli and Denis Zakaria, it’s not easy to choose and I like it.
“Rabiot can also provide quality and quantity. He was raised as a No.10 and I think he can score ten goals per season.”
When discussing the options to replace Kulusevski, especially with Federico Chiesa out for the season with a knee injury, Allegri admitted he may need to get creative:
“Now that Kulisevski is gone and with all the full-backs available, Cuadrado can help us in the build up play. He is a crucial player for us and he could play tomorrow.”
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Sissoko compares Vlahovic to Torres
Former Juventus and Liverpool midfielder Mohamed Sissoko has likened the Old Lady’s new striker, Dusan Vlahovic to former Reds forward, Fernando Torres.
Juve signed Vlahovic for €80m from Fiorentina in January. He scored on his debut in a victory against Hellas Verona on Sunday.
Sissoko told Tuttojuve: “I am sure he’ll get great satisfaction from his time in Turin.
“Despite being very young, he is still a complete striker. Vlahovic has David Trezeguet’s sense of the goal and the speed of execution of Fernando Torres. I am impressed by his talent.”
The Mali international also praised another new Juventus signing in Denis Zakaria.
“I think he can become my heir,” Sissoko said. “He has already done really well at Borussia Monchengladbach and was fascinated by the Old Lady.
“The goal on his debut will boost his self-confidence. He is a box-to-box midfielder andI think he’ll further improve under Massimiliano Allegri.”
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