Boom or Bust - What Juventus can expect from Emre Can
Speaking at the press conference which brought the German international to Liverpool for a snip (around €12 million) back in 2014, the Ulsterman claimed: “If you give Emre another couple of years, he could play in any team in world football. That’s how highly I rate him.”
Four years down the line, Juventus are expected to finally land the 24-year-old on a Bosman, after a year's worth of courtship.
But what are they getting? Is it the man who failed to definitively establish himself at Anfield, or a fascinating midfield dynamo who could take over from the hobbled Claudio Marchisio, no less?
At the two-year mark Rodgers established, the answer may have been the former. Young Emre had been played in a wide array of positions, struggled in the middle, occasionally looking like a world beater, but failed to leave his mark at all in other games. It’s not a coincidence that Juventus were interested in Marcelo Brozovic back then, a similar player.
Rather coincidentally, both Can and Brozo seem to have turned it around this season, only for the Anfield man to be cruelly denied the second half of the campaign by an injury - including a wonderful Champions League run, and its tragic Ukrainian ending.
It’s a real shame, because the German international seemed to have developed into a complete Number 6, or at least something approaching one. Gone were the silly runs in the opposition half which left the defence exposed, and indeed the 70 fouls he committed in 2016-2017, second only in the league to Christian Benteke (he’s down to 24).
While some Liverpool fans rightly ask themselves if the Turkish-born lad still has some way to go in his development, there is no denying that he has improved as a passer, as an all-action player who can harry opponents up and down the pitch before quickly flipping the script with his crisp delivery.
Yet it is hard to escape the feeling that, much like Brozovic, Can has shown us what kind of a player he can be, not what kind of a player he is on a consistent basis, and not over a season, certainly.
And it’s not as if he hasn’t had much of a chance: we’re talking about someone who has played over 200 league games, and has over 20 caps.
So, what are Juventus in for? A very tactical Coach like Jurgen Klopp helped Can develop, so it is reasonable to expect Max Allegri to also carve out a role for the German.
That said, the idea that Can would be an untouchable is out of the question: that’s why players like Bentancur, Pjaca (and Sturaro?) are plugged in - Max has a plan based on the opposition, and Can will need to prove that he can be Pjanic’s level in order to truly be elite.
Still, there’s an opportunity that the 24-year-old can’t waste. Sami Khedira is getting older. Miralem Pjanic can’t perform in a deeper role. Blaise Matuidi doesn’t have the technical nous, and Marko Pjaca is more of an attacking player.
To be perfectly frank, we can’t exclude Marchisio, either: this wouldn’t be the first time that the Little Prince has morphed back into a giant, just like it looked like he might be surplus to requirements.
What Juventus are definitely in for is a high salary (Liverpool were ok with Can’s £100.000-a-week wages, which is nearly €115.000) and a release clause. The latter part is probably what is holding everything up - Liverpool weren’t ok with having one at all, and the Bianconeri can sense another Pogba-like coup….