Alteration in Transfer Policy Heralds the Start of a New Era for Juventus

The arrival of Andrea Pirlo as Juventus boss in August was undoubtedly an eyebrow-raiser, but perhaps not a total surprise.

The Bianconeri hierarchy have been incessant on moving into a new era - or discovering a 'new identity', as they put it - ever since the club unveiled their new logo in 2017.

From an on-field perspective, they eventually attempted to drift away from the grinta and never-say-die attitude style of football which brought them so much success under Antonio Conte and Massimiliano Allegri by hiring Maurizio Sarri in 2019.

In hindsight, Sarri's appointment was pretty underwhelming but the logic was reasonable. The Italian chain-smoker, prior to his Chelsea venture, had revolutionised a Napoli side into becoming the continent's supreme entertainers through his emphasis on slick, free-flowing football. But the former banker struggled to implement his Sarriball ideals onto the Bianconeri squad in his sole season in Turin.

The side that Sarri inherited in 2019 was one that hadn't changed drastically over the years. Sure, there were gradual personnel changes from the Conte and Allegri eras, but the foundations from their recent successes remained.

In short, this was an ageing squad. A tired one, if you will. One that certainly wasn't best suited to carrying out the demanding nature of Sarriball - with the rapid interchanges, high pressing and all.

Since the start of Conte's reign in 2011, Juve's transfer 'policy' in stark contrast to Liverpool - recent Thiago move aside - and their purchasing of sub 23-year-old talent before evolving them into superstars, has been based around buying the finished and perhaps peaking product.

This trend, rather than policy, ironically started with Pirlo after he was left out to rot on the streets of Milan with the Rossoneri convinced that he was finished at the highest level.

Oops.

Pirlo's success during a superb four-year spell convinced the Juve board that this whole 'free transfer' thingy was actually pretty damn good and thus a 28-year-old Sami Khedira arrived from Real Madrid in 2015, along with a 33-year-old Dani Alves the following year. Later examples including Aaron Ramsey, Adrien Rabiot and Emre Can further emphasise their free-agent fetish.

The big-money peaking arrivals were aplenty also - from £80m Gonzalo Higuain to £100m Cristiano Ronaldo, as well as £30m Blaise Matuidi.

However, the sporadic additions throughout Allegri's reign, in particular - a 21-year-old Paulo Dybala here, a young Rodrigo Bentancur there - also highlights that Juve's liking towards ageing stars isn't perhaps a 'policy' as such, with this 'long term' concept clearly contemplated as well.

The tenures of Conte and Allegri returned unrivalled domestic success - often at a canter - but their ultimate goal, a Champions League crown, eluded them.

The Bianconeri never really came close under The Godfather, but fell at the final hurdle on two occasions with Allegri at the helm - succumbing to 'MSN' in 2015 and a Real Madrid side amid their monopolisation over the competition two years later.

During Allegri's final season, they were beaten by a vibrant Ajax side boasting an average age of 21.5 in the quarter-finals. The Juve squad, on average, was eight years older than Erik ten Hag's team.

And it was Sarri who felt the full effect of Juve's work in the transfer market over the past half a decade when he succeeded Allegri in the summer of 2019.

Nevertheless, the Bianconeri's window ahead of the 2019/20 season reflected a distinct alteration in approach. The average age of their signings - discounting Gianluigi Buffon - was 22.5, with Ajax skipper Mattijs de Ligt (19), Merih Demiral (21) and Dejan Kulusevski (19) all arriving at the Allianz Stadium.

But not even those additions were enough to freshen up an obviously ageing and deteriorating squad who failed to adjust to Sarri's demands. Instead, Sarri had to adapt to Juventus.

In Serie A last season, Juve's squad boasted the highest average age (29.7) but somehow, despite installing an iteration of Sarriball which was a genuine insult to his Napoli version, Sarri was still able to spearhead yet another Scudetto triumph for the Old Lady.

However, it was in Europe where Juve would finally come unstuck.

The Italian giants possessed the oldest squad among sides who reached the knockout stages last term and fell at the first hurdle to a distinctly inferior Lyon outfit - from a talent perspective - who boasted the third-youngest squad (24.8).

""I have heard several times that we have one of the oldest roses in Europe, so it can be an element of reflection”"

- Andrea Agnelli post-Lyon exit

Sarri's side were simply outmanoeuvred by Rudi Garcia's men, especially in midfield. After Houssem Aouar and Bruno Guimarães - both 22 years old - dominated proceedings in the first leg, a fearless 20-year-old in Maxence Caqueret ran Juve ragged in the second.

The contrast in energy in the two midfields was pretty clear for all to see.

Nevertheless, their work in the recent window either side of Pirlo's arrival further highlighted their alteration in policy and will certainly help Il Maestro instil his Cruyffian-inspired coaching ideals in his maiden managerial job.

Arthur Melo is a younger upgrade on Mirlalem Pjanic, Federico Chiesa may have tightened the purse strings but remains one of Italy's top talents, while a loan move for Weston McKennie was undoubtedly a surprise but a shrewd one nonetheless with his intensity and capacity to counter-press in the second phase.

Kulusevski also arrives after another year of development at Parma but overall, it wasn't busiest of windows in regards to incomings. The key was squad refreshment, and with the departures of Matuidi, Higuain and Douglas Costa, Agnelli & co. will certainly feel they've achieved that.

The average age of the squad has dropped down to 27.6 - the 14th youngest in Italy and more youthful than Scudetto rivals Lazio (28.5) and Inter (28.3).

This new-found youthfulness will not only be crucial in helping Pirlo instil the principles which Sarri failed to do, but they'll surely reap the benefits in what's destined to be a mightily tight Scudetto race this term.

Should the Pirlo experiment not work during his current two-year deal, Juventus have to ensure his successor isn't hamstrung with a squad like Sarri. As it stands, though, it appears the Bianconeri are on the right track.