Turin –
Transfer Frederick Church from Fiorentina to Juventus apparently caused debate among Bianconeri officials. The 25-year-old winger is considered difficult to become a club’s long-term asset.
This was revealed in the leaked information regarding the prisma investigation that was carried out against Juventus, as reported by Corriere della Sera. The Turin giant is being investigated by local prosecutors for alleged underhanded salary payments.
In this leak, it is known that someone who does not agree with Chiesa’s transfer is Federico Cherubini, who at that time had the status of Head of Football Teams & Technical Areas. When Chiesa arrived, the position of Director of Football was filled by Fabio Paratici.
Cherubini rejected Chiesa’s presence not for tactical reasons, but for financial reasons. It is known that Juventus recruited him on loan for two seasons worth 10 million Euros, then permanently for 40 million Euros.
In addition, there is still a bonus variable that can reach 10 million Euros. So, in total, Chiesa’s transfer could cost Juventus 60 million Euros. For Cherubini, this figure is too expensive for a player who might not last long.
“In my opinion, the profile of Federico Chiesa is not like a player who will last for many years at Juve, because his agent is always looking for a significant increase in economic value,” Cherubini said in the leaked investigative documents.
Not only that, Cherubini also blamed Paratici for being the cause of Juventus’ high salary burden. His poor financial strategy is considered to be the cause of the club’s finances in disarray over the last few years.
“Our worst player is the same salary as the best player at Atalanta. Zapata’s salary is only 1.8 million Euros… If we buy a dog, maybe we will pay him 3.5 million Euros. We are too arrogant in the transfer market,” said Cherubini.
“Fabio five years ago would not have signed Higuain for 90 million euros, he would have chosen to bring in Gabriel Jesus for 10 million euros, then make him a player worth 90 million euros,” Cherubini added.
The alleged underhand salary payment case is a separate investigation from the case of falsifying transfer fees and capital gains, for which Juventus were punished with a 15-point deduction this season. This means that there is a potential for Juventus’ penalties to increase this season.
Chiesa himself has been a mainstay of Juventus since being recruited in the summer of 2020. So far he has scored 19 goals and 16 assists in 71 matches in all competitions, but was sidelined for about a year due to an ACL injury in early 2022. Meanwhile, Cherubini is now in the position left behind Paratici.
(adp/rin)
