EXCLUSIVE: Allegri persuaded Zaza to stay at Juve despite Premier League offers
As calciomercato.com’s Fabrizio Romano reports, West Ham, Watford and Crystal Palace were ready to welcome the striker’s services and had made offers up to € 25 million. Zaza had also handed Juventus a transfer request, but Massimiliano Allegri did not allow his fourth-choice striker to leave Turin.
The duo sat down last month and Allegri convinced Zaza that it would have been better for his career to stay at Juve and play small portions of games, rather than moving to a mid-small Premier League club to start there.
Allegri, in the end, was right. But also Simone Zaza needs to get praise and credit for the choice he made. He understood that battling to leave a club like Juve was just non sense and he could have convinced Conte also staying at the Stadium.
Romano also points out that the role of Fabio Paratici has been vital in Zaza’s career. The Bianconeri Director of Sport wanted him at Sampdoria and Juventus, and Zaza has always followed his mentor, also when Inter and Milan were also keeping tabs on him.
Last year the Old Lady Manolo Gabbiadini to Napoli because he knew Zaza would have joined the Stadium six months later and yesterday, his goal was vital to help Juventus leapfrogging Napoli on top of the Serie A table.
Translated by Lorenzo Bettoni @lorebetto
