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Once Genoa midfielder Stefano Sturaro said his goodbyes to his Grifone teammates, his long-anticipated move to Juventus, the team that owns his contract, was a formality.
Monday, Sturaro took part in his first training session with the club. Meaning, of course, his move has gone through and everything has been completed.
The 21-year-old Sturaro, purchased this summer by Juventus for €5.5 million from Genoa, has been officially recalled by the Serie A champions to add another option in the center of the midfield for manager Max Allegri, it was announced on Monday. And with it, the newest Juventus player got himself a new jersey number which is a little different than the one he wore during his days with Genoa.
.@sturaro_stefano si è già allenato con i suoi nuovi compagni stamattina! Vestirà la maglia n. 27 #BenvenutoSturaro pic.twitter.com/jJ1UzS38mw
— JuventusFC (@juventusfc) February 2, 2015
A few words regarding the new midfielder, courtesy of Juventus' official website:
A summer signing for Juventus back in July, versatile up-and-coming star Stefano Sturaro returns to Turin following a fruitful loan spell with former club Genoa in order to provide cover for the Bianconeri midfield in both an attacking and defensive dimension.
The key in all of this is "provide cover for the Bianconeri midfield." With the likes Paul Pogba, Claudio Marchisio, Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Roberto Pereyra all around, regular playing time is probably going to be tough for Sturaro to come by. But with so many fixtures over the next month or two and injuries seemingly always around the corner, maybe Sturaro can find some regular time during the dog days of the Serie A schedule.
No matter what, though, Sturaro is now officially a Juventus player. Not that he wasn't a few months ago, but now he actually gets to wear a Juventus jersey rather than being out on loan at another club while Juve just hangs onto his contract.
