It’s not often that players of very high quality can be signed without a transfer fee. Now, however, teams are scrambling for the signature of Paulo Dybala, one of the better forwards in football over the past few years. It’s confirmed that Juventus will not be continuing their pursuit of a Dybala contract extension, paving the way for the player’s exit this summer. Dybala’s agent is free to open talks with other clubs and there will certainly be many interested.
Paulo Dybala: The Best Free Agent Option This Summer?
Experience Is Key
It’s not easy for a player to integrate into a new club. Those with vast experience, however, acclimate a lot quicker. Dybala falls into this category.
He’s been a force at Juventus since 2015, allowing him to play elite football for nearly seven years now. He’s 28-years-old and holds plenty more to offer. Dybala burst onto the scene in his first year at Juventus, scoring 19 goals and providing seven assists in 34 Serie A matches.
He had another phenomenal year in 2017/18, scoring 22 goals and providing five assists in 33 Serie A matches. Dybala also holds several Champions League seasons and goals under his belt.
Playing at Juventus gave him the opportunity to play alongside some of the top footballers of the last decade. The list includes Cristiano Ronaldo, Giorgio Chiellini, Leonardo Bonucci, Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal, Paul Pogba, Gonzalo Higuain, Gianluigi Buffon, and so many more.
Trophies also followed Dybala throughout his Juventus career. He has five Serie A trophies, four Coppa Italia trophies, and three Italian Super Cup trophies. Dybala also started in the 2017 Champions League final, but Ronaldo’s Real Madrid proved to be too good ultimately winning 4-1.
Recent Struggles
There’s no question that Dybala is seeing recent struggles. This season he has eight goals and five assists to his name in 21 league appearances. Juventus are out of the Champions League, but Dybala scored three goals in five matches.
Last season, Dybala only had four goals and three assists in 20 league matches. He also only scored once in five Champions League matches.
The struggles of recent seasons can be attributed to Juventus’ struggles as a whole. Their drop in the Serie A standings is evident. The club perhaps focused too much on the acquisition of Cristiano Ronaldo and failed to upgrade other departments. In addition, Juventus saw a coaching carousel which made it difficult to determine a playing style. Dybala also struggled with injury which affected his time on the pitch.
These don’t seem to be major worry signs. Dybala’s excellence in Serie A and the Champions League over the past few seasons should be enough to convince other teams of his quality. He’s also in his prime years, so a three or four-year contract can pay off majorly for a team who moves to sign the Argentine.
Perhaps Dybala never quite lived up to the hype he received early on in his Juventus tenure, but he’s an outstanding forward and an ideal option for a team with needs in the attack.
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