When it was announced that Roberto Pereyra would be joining Juventus on loan from Udinese last week, Antonio Di Natale had nothing but praise for his former team mate.
“Pereyra is a great player,” the Zebrette captain affirmed, “There are few midfielders around with his features. On the wing, as a midfielder or an attacking midfielder, he is flexible and can play in multiple positions.”
Pereyra, who joined Udinese in 2011 from Argentina’s River Plate, has made 84 Serie A appearances for the Little Zebras, scoring a total of eight goals. He also played in several key games for Udinese in various UEFA Europa League and Coppa Italia matches.
However, as Di Natale highlighted, the 23-year-old Argentine is best known for his versatile role played at the Friulano club: being able to fill in and switch positions when change was needed. Under former coach Francesco Guidolin, Pereyra was able to grow and flourish in Udine. Guidolin helped manipulate Pereyra’s style of play to fill in much needed gaps that Udinese had at the time, due to a plague of injuries and a sub-competition schedule that stretched the Little Zebras thin. Under both Guidolin’s guidance and Di Natale’s leadership, the young Argentine was able to mature and grow into the rotating position that became a pivotal role within the jigsaw-like Udinese midfield.
Best known for playing as either a central midfielder or as an attacking central midfielder, Pereyra also adapted into an attacking left midfielder, a right midfielder, and both a right and left defensive midfielder role, being able to play virtually almost every position centre pitch for Udinese.
His style fitted perfectly into Guidolin’s Udinese resurrection; with his bursts of speed, passing accuracy, and ball movement relative to his teammates, Pereyra became Udinese’s poster child in a rough version of Friulani Total Football. And like many other Udinese diamonds-in-the-rough, Pereyra’s flair got him noticed.
Though not enough to have become a household name as other clubs had sought after former Zebrette — such as Alexis Sanchez and Samir Handanovic — his unique adaptability and tactical malleability had caught the eye of Juventus scouts, who were in the market for a new midfielder of their own.
According to Juventus’ official website, the current Serie A Champions agreed to a one-season loan of Pereyra for a fee of €1.5 million. The fee also included an additional €1.5 million performance bonus and the option to be made into a permanent deal at the end of the 2015 season for €14 million, to be paid over three years.
On paper, Juventus seems to be securing a great deal. Having already poached several Udinese players – including Kwadwo Asamoah, Mauricio Isla, and Simone Pepe, to name a few – the Bianconeri have traditionally benefited from their northern neighbours.
However, will Pereyra actually be able to prosper at Juventus like his former Zebrette brethren?
Unfortunately, what is his talent may also turn to be his downfall at the Turin club. As Juventus are undergoing their own structural and tactical changes, a player like Pereyra – who can play in several different positions – may find himself with no place at all.
There is no denying that Juventus will undergo restructuring for the 2014/2015 season. Under their new head coach Massimiliano Allegri and with an unstable midfield with the future of Arturo Vidal still undecided, Juventus will be looking for more cohesion and anchorage in their midfield and not a player who is notorious for being a jack-of-all-trades.
Above anything, Juventus need stability and a player known for his wayfarer heroics may not be the linchpin that Juventus need to use this season. However, the loan acts as a safety net for both teams and the promiscuous positional player. After all, if Pereyra’s services aren’t used by Juventus, he can always return to Udinese who’s success is built upon their reliance on a motley crew of vagabond players.
Juventus will either shape the young player into a diverse – yet reliable – midfielder or will see him clot up the clog that is the rebuilt Juventus machine.
Only time will tell which are Pereyra’s more fitting stripes.
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