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It's easy to forget because it was nearly three years ago, but the smile on Martín Cáceres' face when he arrived in Turin for his second go around with Juventus will be etched in my brain for the rest of time. This was more than just the natural "Hey, I'm happy to be here!" kind of joy, too.
You see, Cáceres wasn't a "new" signing in Turin. I understand he went to Spain for a year and a half after his loan spell with Juventus in that 2009-10 season we shall barely speak of from this point on. But what we saw in Cáceres' return trip to through the Turin-Caselle Airport is what we pretty much knew before — this guy loves Juventus, and Juventus loves him back. That's what there was pure joy on his face. Cáceres was back at the club he wanted to return to two years after the fact.
Don't look now, but Cáceres isn't going anywhere. That, ladies and gents, is good news. Very, very good news.
Martin Caceres and Juventus want to continue their journey together. The Uruguayan defender is close to agreeing to an extension with the Turin based club, Caceres' agent Daniel Fonseca met with Juventus a few days ago. The meeting was positive, the discussions are on going and the new contract is expected to be agreed to in the next few days. Caceres and Juventus are close to agreeing to an extension.
(Source: Gianluca Di Marzio)
We've heard a lot about contract extensions in recent months. Arturo Vidal signing a shiny new deal in December didn't exactly kick-start the contract snowball like some might have thought. But here's a list of names we've heard about in regard to players getting new contracts in recent weeks: Paul Pogba, Gianluigi Buffon, Giorgio Chiellini, Kwadwo Asamoah, Stephan Lichtsteiner, and now, Martín Cáceres.
Did I forget a name or two? Maybe, and it's for good reason. There are so many Juve players being linked with contract extensions it's a task to keep track of. Let's just say the only rumors surrounding the general vicinity of Juventus' training grounds right now are about who is getting a contract extension, not who may or may not be leaving the club because they may or may not want to sign with Manchester United.
And the way he has played for the better part of the last nine months, there's no doubting Cáceres deserves a bump up in pay and a few more years tacked onto his current contract. When you can step into a starting lineup and replace Andrea Barzagli without missing a single beat, then yeah, you've basically proclaimed to the general public that you can play.
Oh yeah, Cáceres is still just 27 years old. Pay him, put him on lock, done deal. Keep the man around. And not just because he can rock high socks better than anybody in European football.
