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Over the past two summers, we've come to know Beppe Marotta as quite a bargain hunter on the transfer market. He loves a free transfer as much as I love free samples at Costco. They go together like peanut butter and jelly. Delicious, delicious deals.
For his next trick, Marotta has gone the bargain bin once again, this time in the form of former Inter center back Lucio.
From Juventus' official website:
Lucio has completed a move to Juventus. The Brazilian defender joins the Bianconeri on a free transfer and has signed a two-year contract, keeping him with the club until 30 June 2014.
So why Lucio?
Well, lemme try to answer that in about three easy steps.
1. He was free. Can't get much better than that, right?
2. He's got experience — and not just because of the fact he's 34 years old. With Juventus back in the Champions League, somebody like Lucio — whether he's starting or not — will prove to be a valuable player to have.
3. It adds depth to a defense that was lacking another option at center back. And as we've talked about before, with Juve playing on three fronts next season, having quality players other than the regular starting squad for Antonio Conte to have at his disposal was one of the biggest priorities of this transfer window.