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The problem with trying to cover the summer transfer window for Italian women’s soccer is that there simply isn’t much information out there. If you’re tired of all the rumors involving the Juventus men these days, you might as well just try and find something for the Juve women because it’s a time-consuming operation.
Juventus Women’s summer transfer activity has been somewhat quiet compared to others in Serie A Femminile, with only a couple of new additions truly jumping off the page. The bulk of Juve’s work has been done in house — and that’s why this is important.
Since the season ended with a domestic double and the summer months officially began, Juventus Women have signed the following players to contract extensions:
- Asia Bragonzi
- Melissa Bellucci
- Doris Bacic
- Sofie Pedersen
- Lisa Boattin
- Arianna Caruso
- Aurora Galli
- Barbara Bonansea
- Cristiana Girelli
- Martina Rosucci
- Sara Gama
That’s a whole 11 contract extensions handed out since the final week of May to now, with Rosucci and Gama signing their new deals through 2021 and 2022, respectively, over the weekend, the early days of August. Nine of them are Italian, with Bacic (Croatia) and Pedersen (Denmark) being the only foreigners of the group. (Although, Bacic might as well be Italian with how she’s been embraced by her teammates.) The last five names were also part of Juventus Women’s eight-player representation at the Women’s World Cup this summer, helping Italy to a historic and unpredicted run to the tournament’s quarterfinal stage. Throw in Boattin renewing in May, and that’s six of the eight from the Italian women’s national team representation who have renewed.
And based on how the summer has gone, the odds of the other two Italians who took part at the Women’s World Cup — goalkeeper Laura Giuliani and midfielder Valentina Cernoia — signing their own contract extensions seem rather favorable at this point.
It’s important, too.
Juventus is just two years into the club’s women’s football adventure. Obviously, the club has done a lot of winning from the very beginning, capturing the Scudetto in both of their seasons active while also winning the domestic double this past season. And while players have come and gone each of the last two summers — those who have clearly been brought in on one-year deals to add squad depth — it’s not like their best players have gotten a couple of years under their belt in Turin and then gone to seek opportunities elsewhere.
That’s even more of the case now, with Italy’s strong showing at the Women’s World Cup potentially serving as a possible launching pad to higher-paying clubs. It’s not like they’re currently making a huge chunk of change — or are even considered full-time professionals — in Italy right now, so for players who are in the prime of their career to commit to a situation where their professional standing might as well be attached to how successful they are is a rather impressive choice from a talented group of women.
Continued success is obviously important.
But so is the case to be to made that these women who are committing so much and not making a whole lot of money need to be declared as full-time professionals.
One goes with the other, and Juventus having success domestically — and likely in the Women’s Champions League as well — can continue to make that case stronger.
At least for now, those in charge of the Juventus Women roster have decided to basically run it back for the 2019-20 season. Knowing what they’ve done the last two seasons, you can see why that’s been the case — and why they want to keep the heavily-Italian band together again.