A year and a half is a long time in football, and in that time, a lot of things can change, including the status and happiness of a player.
Back in September 2015, Sport Witness spoke to a source close to Juventus’ Daniele Rugani about alleged Arsenal interest, who said at the time: “Of course, if Arsenal or other important English clubs want to buy him with the right offer, the player will be more than happy to move.
“He has the skill, physique and perfect attitude for the Premier League and will be very happy to play in the United Kingdom for top English teams.”
Well, fast forward to the end of February 2017, and the stance from both player and club has changed considerably, with the young centre-back now ‘untouchable’ in Turin, with the Serie A champions confident they have their next future defensive star in Rugani.
According to Calciomercato, Wenger is said to have made a direct enquiry about the player’s availability in January, but the Italian club’s response put him off even considering making a bid for Rugani, who is under contract until 2021.
The same is applicable for next summer, where a bid of €30m is unlikely to be considered.
Having also signed Mattia Caldara from Atalanta for 2018, it seems Juventus are pretty much set when it comes to replacing their famous BBC defence.
Arsenal, down their end, need to look elsewhere.
