When the talented young duo sealed their combined £18.5 million moves to Aston Villa, one former coach made no attempt to hide his disappointment.
‘A shame’.
That is what Juventus’ old youth team coach had to say when it was announced that the Serie A giants had sent Samuel Iling-Junior and Enzo Barrenechea to Aston Villa as part of the deal that saw Douglas Luiz swap Birmingham for Turin.
“It’s a shame,” Bonatti told TuttoJuve. “Because, having been part of the final growth path, they had that type of belonging (to the club) that other guys don’t have.
“The only ones responsible for making this type of decision is the club. They will probably have looked carefully at the balance sheet and evaluated the economic income deriving from their sale.
“Perhaps precisely for this reason, the thought of selling them prevailed.”
Iling-Junior and Barrenechea were two of the most exciting young talents in Juve’s ranks. Arguably the best of the lot could also be on his way out the door of the Allianz Stadium too.
Juventus could deal with Leicester after Aston Villa moves
Tuttosport claim that Premier League returnees Leicester City are willing to offer an initial £21 million – rising to £26 million – for Argentine winger Mathias Soule. The Foxes are also putting a five-year contract worth £50,000-a-week on the table.
Juventus are holding out for £30 million.
Even if Leicester are willing to increase their offer beyond the 35 million euro threshold, this is not a departure that would be too well received amongst Serie A pundits already disappointed by the exits of Sandro Tonali, Guglielmo Vicario and Joshua Zirkzee as well as Riccardo Calafiori’s potential £42 million move from Bologna to Arsenal.
“I think he should stay in Italy,” Stefano Impallomeni, the former Roma midfielder tells Tuttomercatoweb.
Impallomeni draws comparisons between the situation facing Soule at Juve and that of a young Kingsley Coman.
The Frenchman struggled for opportunities in Italy before moving to Bayern Munich and becoming one of the most decorated footballers in the modern era.
“He could be the Coman of the situation and the regrets (about Juventus letting him go) would increase,” Impallomeni adds. “You have to make a choice. For this, I would keep him
“And then, with (new Juventus coach Thiago) Motta, he could still improve.”
Leicester have already signed Atalanta’s Caleb Okoli
Soule spent the 2023/24 campaign on loan at Frosinone alongside the aforementioned Barrenechea.
The 21-year-old scored a very impressive 11 goals during his breakout campaign, including one thumping free-kick against Cagliari which had legendary Leicester boss drawing comparisons with one Diego Maradona.
Soule idolises Lionel Messi. But perhaps a more fitting comparison, from a Leicester perspective, would be with Riyad Mahrez.
The Foxes have attempted on numerous occasions to find a left-footed right-winger capable of emulating Mahrez’s impact and perhaps Soule could succeed where the likes of Rachid Ghezzal failed.
The 2021 FA Cup winners have already snapped up one player from Italy’s top flight this month.
Caleb Okoli sealed his £12 million move from Atalanta, the defender’s agent highlighting the role new boss Steve Cooper played in securing the Italy Under 21 star’s Premier League ‘dream’.
“Leicester were convinced of the boy,” Alessandro Barison tells Sport Italia.
“I also met the coach (Cooper) who made me understand that he knew the boy and that he thought he was ready to play in the Premier League.
“When you have the trust of a coach like Cooper, who wants you, it’s important. The boy is very happy because there is maximum trust from both the coach and the management.
“Going to the Premier League has always been his dream. This call came perhaps even earlier than expected. I had said that he wanted to get there in a couple of years, but we are very happy.
“I know that Atalanta had many requests in Italy and abroad, but not from the Premier League before Leicester’s arrival. Getting there (to England) has always been his dream, since he was a child. Leicester is a very ambitious club, with a training centre that is among the best in Europe.”
Leave a Reply