While he was an omnipresent figure in the Juventus starting lineup at the start of the season, Dusan Vlahovic could be set for a major fall from grace.
The Serbian bomber is the club’s biggest investment since signing Cristiano Ronaldo, and is currently the highest earner in Serie A with a net salary of 12 million euros per year. So despite being the club’s leading goalscorer in each of the most recent campaigns (and the current one), most fans and pundits believe he hasn’t done enough to justify these hefty figures.
Moreover, the 24-year-old has been out of sorts in recent weeks, struggling to make the simplest of touches, and wasting possession more often than not.
So according to IlBianconero, Vlahovic could sensationally find himself third on Thiago Motta’s attacking order in a matter of days.
This would have sounded an inconceivable hypothesis a few weeks back, especially with the former Fiorentina man starting every match at the start of the season, except when he was out with an injury. This was mainly due to the ongoing absence of Arkadiusz Milik who has been missing since June with a knee injury.
But as the source explains, Nico Gonzalez is proving to be a more convincing option for Motta, despite his almost non-existent goal contribution. The Argentine is a winger by trade, but has been deployed as a centre-forward in recent weeks while Vlahovic was nursing a slight injury problem.
And while Gonzalez hasn’t been prolific in front of goal, many have noted that the team plays better with him in the lineup, as at least they manage to move the ball smoothly in the attacking third and maintain possession.
Moreover, Randal Kolo Muani has been training with his new Juventus teammates in recent days while waiting for Paris Saint-Germain to resolve his registration issue so he could be eligible to play for the Bianconeri.
Hence, the Frenchman’s arrival could push Vlahovic further down the pecking order, potentially leaving him third on the list.
