Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images
Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images
Chelsea were directly in talks to sign Juventus wonderkid Kerim Alajbegovic for much of the summer window before the Bosnian ace moved to Turin – but why did he choose Juventus?
Alajbegovic had quickly become one of the best teenage talents in European football during his time in Germany with Xabi Alonso’s old side Leverkusen. The two never crossed paths at the German club.
The youngster, renowned for his long-range shooting ability and creating magic out of nothing, was a real target for the Blues. But ultimately, the Bosnian chose Juventus and now, reports explain why.
Why Alajbegovic joined Juventus is down to Morgan Rogers
At one stage, reports even claimed Chelsea were about to complete a £36m deal for Alajbegovic, before Juventus stole in and agreed a deal. This week, he scored his first goal for Juventus since choosing Turin.
Now, a report from TuttoMercatoWeb claims that Xabi Alonso actually held talks with Alajbegovic, the Chelsea manager himself attempting to convince the attacking midfielder of the move and Blues project.
However, a loan move had been lined up for the teenager. The signing of Morgan Rogers meant Chelsea were unwilling to offer Alajbegovic an instant first-team role, especially without added minutes in Europe.
That chat with Alonso saw Alajbegovic choose to move to Juventus, where he was instantly offered a senior role under manager Luciano Spalletti. Chelsea could not make promises and it ended their pursuit.
Chelsea lack first-team cover for Cole Palmer and Rogers
It’s a strange one. Chelsea could have easily handed Alajbegovic a first-team role, making him the primary replacement for Rogers or Cole Palmer. The England duo are playing as two no.10’s behind the striker.
Alajbegovic is perfect for that role. Currently, if one of Palmer or Rogers suffer an injury, Chelsea are left with no options in that role. Estevao can play there, but if one of is missing, Alonso switches to 4-2-3-1.
If Alajbegovic was at Chelsea, it would allow Alonso to retain the 3-4-2-1 system he has started the season with. It feels like an oversight from Alonso and Chelsea, with the Blues lacking in attacking cover.