João Cancelo’s transfer from Valencia to Juventus has been in the news regularly over the last week, but not for anything to do with the Portuguese defender himself. Instead, the fact that he is represented by Jorge Mendes has become a central part of the story surrounding Cristiano Ronaldo’s own shocking arrival in Turin.
It seems that during a meeting to discuss Cancelo’s move, Mendes alerted Juve officials not only to the fact that Ronaldo was available, but that he was hugely interested in wearing the famous black and white stripes of Italy’s grand Old Lady. The rest, as they say, is history.
A week later, the club’s share price had risen by 35%, they had agreed a €112 million deal with Real Madrid and Juan Cuadrado – former owner of the no.7 shirt – was looking for a new squad number. Signing Ronaldo is something that will forever alter the trajectory of Max Allegri’s side, bringing a previously unseen level of global attention upon the Bianconeri and opening up new opportunities for both commercial success and, hopefully, on-field glory.
However, what must not be overlooked in all the furore surrounding the arrival of his more famous compatriot, is that Juve have also acquired an excellent player in Cancelo himself.
The 24-year-old spent last season on loan at Inter, scoring one goal and registering three assists in 26 league appearances which allowed him to get a good level of Serie A experience and grow accustomed to life in Italy. He also showcased an ability to fulfil a variety of roles, playing as a wing-back and an orthodox full-back on both flanks as well as in a more advanced position on the right of Coach Luciano Spalletti’s 4-2-3-1 formation.
That bodes well given Allegri’s constant tactical changes, while also providing a more attacking alternative to the reliable but more traditional defensive ability of regular right-back Mattia De Sciglio. Once it became clear the Nerazzurri were not going to take up their option to sign him outright, Cancelo’s form at Inter saw Manchester United, Chelsea and Barcelona express their interest before Juve stepped in and agreed a €40.4 million fee with Valencia.
They did so knowing that, at least while playing in Serie A, Cancelo had shown a much-improved defensive diligence, averaging two tackles and 1.7 interceptions per 90 minutes according to figures from WhoScored.com. He still has much to learn at that end of the field, with Inter legend Beppe Bergomi among those to express his doubts, the Sky Italia commentator saying that the Portugal international was “occasionally still sloppy when defending one-on-one.”
Bergomi also asserted that he would advise his former club against signing the player outright, but that had much more to do with the financial implications of spending such a high sum on a right-back given their needs elsewhere in the side. Vice President Javier Zanetti said at an event earlier in the summer that Cancelo had “shown his qualities over the whole season” and insisted the club would be “sorry not to see him in our colours again.”
“Inter helped me grow and develop my game,” the player told reporters at a press conference last week. “They gave me my first taste of Italian football too, so I’m very grateful for that.” They also allowed him to showcase his attacking talents and no defender in Serie A completed more dribbles per 90 minutes than Cancelo’s average of 2.3, while only AS Roma’s Aleksandar Kolarov (2.3) created more scoring opportunities for his team-mates than his average of 1.7 per 90 minutes.
Yet while helping ensure Inter returned to the Champions League by finishing fourth, he ended the 2017/18 campaign empty handed, now hoping that his new club will allow him to enjoy more tangible success. “My objective here is to win titles, starting with the league and Coppa Italia,” Cancelo told reporters. “I would define the Champions League as an objective too, but not an obligation as there are several other top clubs who will fight hard to win it too. Make no mistake though, it’s a very important target of ours.
“On a personal level, I also hope that by performing well at a big club like Juventus will raise my chances of playing more for the Portuguese national team.” Given that he will now be playing alongside the Seleção skipper, that – as well as European glory – is a distinct possibility, especially given the fact he helped bring Cristiano Ronaldo to Turin.
Just don’t forget that João Cancelo is a good signing in his own right too!
