It looks like the debate about the future for Kwadwo Asamoah is by now a recurrent topic, a kind of déjà vu.
As we all know, Asamoah arrived at Juventus as a rising star in 2011 after he played a key role in Udinese's midfield. That year the Zebrette finished third in Serie A and reached the Champions League playoffs. The next couple of seasons, he proved his worth playing left wingback in Antonio Conte´s 3-5-2. However, with Max Allegri using mostly a 4-3-1-2 formation, and after a season troubled by injuries, perhaps is time — once again — to reconsider the role of Asamoah for the 2015-2016 campaign.
The first thought about Asamoah playing in a four-man defense came from himself in an interview during last year's World Cup after the defeat against United States. He said:
"Everyone knows the role in which I can give my best, I’ve never liked playing in defense but when you are asked to do so what can you do? I think I am one of the players on the pitch with the most quality and I am very useful when I help out in attack. I don’t like playing in defense and I don’t think I can help the team there. My role is offensive."
(Source: Football Italia)
Something tells me he doesn´t like the idea, right? Asamoah is a professional and the ultimate team player (and, of course, he´s talking about Ghana, not Juventus). Nonetheless, one situation is when you take one for the club and another is when you play in your desired position. It´s hard to believe that he would request a transfer, yet the fact that he considers himself a midfielder says a lot.
On the other hand is the depth of Juventus´ roster, beginning with the left backs. Patrice Evra was a pleasant surprise, however, he is 34 years old already and can´t play forever. Martin Caceres plays that position for Uruguay where he has been very good, but he´s had injury concerns of his own over the years. Fan favorite Simone Padoin is serviceable at best and, of course, I don’t consider our resident DJ, Paolo De Ceglie as an alternative (for a better understanding of the fullbacks situation, please check BWRAO last season ratings).
Possibly, this is the major obstacle for Asamoah on his quest to the midfield, without him the LB position is not quite solid right now.
In the same way, Juventus´ midfield status is a little tricky. Right now it looks fully loaded, however Andrea Pirlo is on his way to the Big Apple and Paul Pogba is represented by "super-agent" Mino Raiola (you already know what that means). So maybe, there is a chance that Asamoah could find a spot for him sooner or later. Additionally, the "always trustworthy" English tabloids are reporting that Arsenal is interested in Asamoah, making his future even hazier.
For now, it´s hard to know what will happen to Kojo, possibly this transfer window could bring clarity to his case. (For example, imagine the impact of Juventus signing Matteo Darmian…just sayin´.)
Asamoah´s quality and work ethic are unquestionable and I hope his career in Turin continues for many years. That being said, I expect Juventus will give him a chance to show his class in the middle on a weekly basis, just because he has already earned it.