Mehdi Benatia has completed a season-long loan move to Juventus following an expected lack of game time at Bayern Munich due to the arrival of Matts Hummels at the Allianz Arena.
Juventus have the option to make the loan deal permanent next summer for a fee believed to be in the region of £14.3m.
Benatia was somewhat of a fringe player at Bayern Munich following his transfer from Roma in 2014. His arrival at Juventus could mean that Leonardo Bonucci is set for a move to the Premier League.
Juventus has been quite active in the window this summer with the signing of Benatia marking the club’s third foray into the transfer market. The Old Lady have also acquired the services of Miralem Pjanic and Brazilian defender Dani Alves.
The Bianconerri’s substantial involvement in the window is a testament to the fact that they’re keen on retaining their hard-fought Serie A title with the likes of Napoli and Roma set to make attempts to clinch the Scudetto next season.
What Benatia Will Bring to Juventus
Benatia has prior experience in the Serie A as he was a key member of Roma’s defence before he made the switch to the Bundesliga. His know-how of the Italian top flight will help him settle in quite nicely in Turin.
The 29-year-old has all the qualities of a modern-day centre-back in his arsenal. He’s good in the air and knows how to convert dead-balls into goals. Benatia also has impeccable timing and anticipation regarding how he puts a stop to incoming passes and crosses.
Benatia’s time at Bayern shaped his mentality into that of an absolute winner. Bayern is a team which epitomises the popular slang ‘German-machine’ as they aim to win and utterly dominate any team they face.
The order of the day at Bayern is definitely for the players to score as many as they can and concede nothing.
Having featured in the Bundesliga’s best defensive set-up Benatia will be able to succeed at Juventus, who are quite similar to Bayern regarding how they line-up defensively.
Player’s that will come up against Benatia next season will have a tough time getting past him as a result of the Morocco international’s ability, experience and winners mindset.
Going into an already impressive Juventus back-four, Benatia will provide added cover for the Bianconerri making the team’s defence extremely sturdy and hard to break down for even the most proficient attacking outlets.
How Benatia Will Fit into the Juventus Backline
Benatia is set to go into a backline that already features the talents of Giorgio Chiellini, Antonio Barzagli and Leonardo Bonucci.
Benatia may be utilised as more of a rotation option due to the cohesion that already exists within Juventus’ back-four. Although with the way things seem set to pan out, Bonucci could very well be plying his trade in the Premier League next season, paving the way for Benatia to come into the fray.
Benatia will be hoping that injuries don’t get the best of him in the Serie A, as he was forced to watch his teammates from the sidelines many times because of injury and fitness problems.
If Benatia can remain fully fit next season, then he’ll undoubtedly prove to be a truly inspiring addition to Juventus’s defensive set-up.