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Simone Zaza was the last of the three-big money striker signings this summer. And unless something else happens in the next few weeks, it's likely to stay that way. So, fittingly or just by coincidence, Zaza was the last of the four summer signings to meet and be introduced to the media as a Juventus player this week, with the 24-year-old striker saying he is ready to compete for a spot after making his dream move to the Turin giants.
Juventus bringing Zaza in was not as heralded or had the same kind of media attention as their moves for Paulo Dybala or Mario Mandzukic. But, after completing the €18 million move from Sassuolo earlier this month, Zaza will now be competing for playing with the other two new strikers who were introduced earlier this week.
Unsurprisingly at this point of the week, Zaza also announced what number he will be wearing next season as Juventus begin the adventure in adidas kits.
#Zaza: "I will wear the number 7 shirt." #ZazaDay
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) July 17, 2015
And, for the visually-inclined, here's Zaza holding up his new Juventus jersey with the No. 7 on it. I'd say he's rather happy to hold that jersey up.
Lucky number 7 for Simone! #ZazaDay pic.twitter.com/nfTGHk0GnR
— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) July 17, 2015
Zaza comes to Juventus after two seasons with Sassuolo and a handful of appearances for the Italian national team over the past 12 months. He finished with 11 goals in 31 games (29 starts) last season with the Neroverdi, but the majority of those came in the first half of the season when Zaza was in arguably the best form of his young career. Zaza then slumped in the middle of the season, before regaining some kind of form and finishing out the campaign with three goals in his last four games.
But now Zaza has the likes of Mandzukic, Dybala and Álvaro Morata to compete for time with. He says he's up for the challenge of trying to break into a side with such talented strikers alongside him. And while we wait just to see what kind of formation Max Allegri might decide to use with all of his new options up front, it doesn't matter to Zaza. At Sassuolo he played in a trident with Domenico Berardii (you might have heard of him) and Nicola Sansone. Now? We'll wait and see.
There's one thing for certain, though: Zaza is hungry and ready to impress at his new club. You can't ask for much more than that right now.
Oh, and judging by the smile on his face throughout the press conference and the video below, it's pretty safe to say that #ZazaDay was a pretty good day for Juventus' new No. 7.