After lengthy negotiations with AC Monza and the player himself, Juventus have finally reached an agreement that will bring goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio to the club ahead of the new season.
Talks had been ongoing for some time, but according to media outlets (and Italian newspaper Tuttosport added) the Bianconeri saw Liverpool’s interest in signing the 26-year-old.
In a statement published on its official website, Juve announced that it has reached an agreement whereby it will pay 18 million euros ($19. 49 million) to Monza.
This will see Di Gregorio sign for a club with a long history of iconic goalkeepers, from Dino Zoff and Angelo Peruzzi to the inimitable Gigi Buffon, not to mention Juve legends such as Gianpiero Combi and Stefano Tacconi.
A product of Inter’s youth academy, Di Gregorio has never played an official match for the Nerazzurri despite joining them when he was just six years old. In the 2016/17 season, he was a regular as the club won the Italian national runners-up. 19 title, but then sent to Renate, a club that plays in Serie C.
Unsurprisingly, he shone in the third division of Italian football, was named the most productive goalkeeper as he helped the Lombardy team triumph in the playoffs. Di Gregorio was then loaned to Novara for the 2018/19 campaign, thriving in the same department and once back. named Serie C standout player between the tubes.
He followed a move to Serie B side Pordenone and the goalkeeper temporarily adapted to play a leading role as the Neroverdi reached the semi-finals of the playoffs. In August 2020, Di Gregorio would join Monza, newly promoted to Italy’s second division and looking to continue his rise under owner Silvio Berlusconi.
Narrowly lacking promotion, having conceded fewer goals than any other Serie B team, the Biancorossi would invest in their team, keeping their shooter as the most sensible priority.
They would do so, by reaching an agreement with Inter that would make Di Gregorio’s move permanent if they achieved promotion and that is precisely what would happen when they triumphed in the playoffs.
By paying 4 million euros ($4. 35 million) to own the goalkeeper, Monza, according to Calcio e Finanza, agreed to return 10 percent of any future sale to Inter, a clever clause negotiated by Nerazzurri president Beppe Marotta.
That meant that Di Gregorio, who celebrated his 24th birthday shortly before the start of the 2022/23 season, would now play in Serie A for the first time. Just as he had taken the previous steps in the quality climb, The Milan local would shine without delay, delivering perfect performances with impressive consistency.
In his first season at the top flight, he would be on the list of the top three goalkeepers in Serie A, and in 2023/24, Di Gregorio did better, winning the award by keeping 14 blank sheets in 33 appearances.
This was resounding from Gigi Buffon, who was asked about Di Gregorio in a recent press conference and said: “I think he has had two sensational seasons, surely confirming himself as one of the most productive goalkeepers. “
It’s easy to see why. Throughout his career, Di Gregorio has built his reputation as a shooting goalkeeper and his record speaks for itself, with the list below highlighting his appearances for each club and his record in those matches:
Since turning professional and taking into account all competitions, Di Gregorio has played 248 matches and maintained an impressive 90 blank sheets while facing a steady barrage of shots.
In fact, last season, Di Gregorio led all Serie A goalkeepers with 127 saves, completing second place last season, while with a total of 121 he was only surpassed by Lorenzo Montipo of Hellas Verona (126).
He also racked up two goals last season, adding to a remarkable record in the penalty shootout. Di Gregorio has accumulated six of the 24 (exactly 25%) that have been made in the last five years, making saves, adding the one shown above. to Juve’s Dusan Vlahovic in December.
In addition to doing his defensive homework, Di Gregorio is also intelligent in possession. According to WhoScored. com’s statistics, he made 35. 9 passes per 90 minutes, only for Turin’s Vanja Milinkovic-Savic (37. 7) and Genoa’s Josep Martinez (36. 6). doing more.
It should be noted that, according to the same source, Di Gregorio’s good luck index of 74. 4% was much higher than that of Milinkovic-Savic (60. 1%) and Martinez (69. 2%) during the same period.
He also managed to get some assists, adding this long ball to Dany Mota Carvalho in April last season. Back in Serie B, Di Gregorio took another help, in a November 2021 meeting with Cosenza, locating Christian Gytkjær. with a massive launch that covered almost the entire field.
It was this combination of sniper fire saves and fast, high-level distribution that convinced new boss Thiago Motta to make this decision. The coach obviously sees Di Gregorio as an ideal candidate for the tactical approach, which has been discussed extensively in this previous column. .
Michele Di Gregorio will now feel the pressure from his illustrious predecessors, continuing the legacy forged by Juventus’ number one shirt.
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