Juventus spent a good amount of money for Angelo Ogbonna two summers ago. He made the move across Turin from Torino to Juve despite the fact that he would be going from the heart of one team's defense to a reserve with the other. It was a move that some saw as a luxury, while others viewed it as a move for the future, with some short-term bonuses.
Well, the future is here.
And that future includes heading to the English Premier League, not to Juventus Stadium.
Ogbonna, who cost an initial €13 million transfer from Torino in the summer of 2013, is heading to London and the land of West Ham United. The Hammers will essentially pay what Juventus did two years ago, handing over €11 million for the 27-year-old Italian defender who will now get the playing team he so very much desires. From Juventus' website:
OFFICIAL: @OgbonnaOfficial departs for @whufc_official. More on this story here: http://t.co/jd0iPtCGOw pic.twitter.com/7AePkEmQa3
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) July 10, 2015
Ogbonna appeared in all of 41 Serie A games in his two seasons with Juvenuts, 32 of those being starts. That surely wasn't what he had in mind when he first traded in the granata of Torino for Juventus black and white stripes. He was a standout at Torino, but finding playing time was obviously hard to come by with the likes of Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini, Andrea Barzagli and Martin Cáceres around.
But now he heads out to London and the EPL to try and not get a major uptick in playing time, but also get back into the Italian national team's setup on a regular basis. And when you factor in how Daniele Rugani is essentially stepping in for Ogbonna in Juventus' defense, then it's a pretty good deal for all parties involved. Bravo, Beppe, bravo.