Player Focus: Coman Set to Become the Old Lady's Latest French Fancy

Juventus’ bespectacled general manager Beppe Marotta has a flair for free transfers. Three years ago he didn’t believe the word coming out of Milan that Andrea Pirlo was in decline and that everyone had become wise to his way of playing. Marginalised at San Siro, he was placed at the centre of Juventus’ new project. It was the hinge on which the balance of power swung in Italy.

Then the following season came Paul Pogba. Disillusioned at the lack of opportunities at Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson had even brought Paul Scholes out of retirement rather than play him. Promised game time if he earned it in Turin, Pogba has never looked back, emerging as arguably Europe’s best young midfielder.

Marotta did it again last summer. He had tried to get Fernando Llorente from Athletic Bilbao earlier. The Basques were furious at him for wishing to leave San Mames and he was frozen out until the end of his contract. It would take a while for the striker to defrost but when he did it was another low cost operation that reaped great rewards: Llorente scored 18 goals in all competitions.

By now observers have pretty much come to expect Marotta to repeat the trick every year and, though it’s still early to say, it seems they haven’t been left disappointed after this latest transfer window. Kingsley Coman was Sky Italia’s Man of the Match on Saturday. At 18, two months and 17 days he became the youngest foreign player to make his debut for Juventus. It was some first appearance.

As with Pogba, it came against Chievo - and it was away rather than at home. With Llorente and Sebastian Giovinco suffering from the flu and €20m new signing Alvaro Morata yet to recover from a knee injury, Coman got the chance he’d been promised on joining from Paris Saint-Germain. Used to playing behind the strikers, he was instead asked to operate in front of Carlos Tevez. Being the furthest forward didn’t faze him one bit, nor did going up against a pair of grizzled and well-seasoned Serie A centre-backs in their early to mid 30s. Coman showed great potential and personality. He led the line.

Though the Frenchman only had 34 touches in his 68 minutes on the pitch, his moments on the ball were noteworthy. He pulled it out the air with great ability and at times showed unexpected strength in holding it up with his back to goal. Coman had as many shots [4] as Tevez did over the full 90. Only Genoa’s debutant striker, the Chile international Mauricio Pinilla had a pop at goal more than he did on the opening weekend in Serie A [one every 12.9 minutes compared with one every 17].

Coman also showed he could beat his man, making [2] successful dribbles. His pass accuracy of 64% is fairly standard for a forward operating in tight spaces and in close proximity to gnarling defenders. But what really stood out about Coman was his off-the-ball work. On several occasions he made smart runs, opening up space for Juventus’ midfielders to run into. He read his teammates intentions well, for example at one stage instantly understanding that Arturo Vidal had a cross in mind for him from an unconventional position.

Comanda la Juve was the headline on Tuttosport’s front page the following day, a play on the word Command and Coman’s name to convey his part in a dominant display after the Old Lady’s 1-0 win at the Bentegodi, where they hit the bar twice, the post once and had another effort cleared off the line.

“It’s not a surprise for us who see him every day,” captain Gigi Buffon said of Coman’s performance. “For me it was like seeing Pogba again. He has a level head on his shoulders that should take him far. The important thing now is that we don’t ruin him.”

Coman had been on Juventus’ radar for at least a couple of years. It’s believed he first came to their attention when the club’s Under-17s played PSG’s in Doha a little after New Year in 2012. He would score when their senior youth teams met in the Next Gen series in the winter.  To scout him further, Juventus’ director of sport Fabio Paratici then braved the -3 temperatures in Lübeck as France played Germany’s Under-19s.

In the meantime, Coman had made his debut for PSG under former Juventus coach Carlo Ancelotti in a 3-2 defeat away at Sochaux. “He’s quick but also very intelligent,” the now Real Madrid boss insisted. Coman would play only 54 minutes last season. It was of some frustration to him. “Now people should also understand that I am ready,” he told L’Équipe. “It’s difficult when you see other players [who represent France at youth level] starting for their club and you feel that that you are also at that level.”

He didn’t lack offers. Arsenal, Liverpool, Bayer Leverkusen and Bayern Munich all expressed genuine interest. Willy Sagnol, his Under-21 manager, wanted to take Coman with him to Bordeaux. “He offered me playing time but it was too late, I had started to lean towards Juve,” he revealed. The decision makers at PSG preferred that Coman go abroad, not that they were at all happy about losing him. But the attraction Juventus had to him was an obvious one.

“They have a history with the French. Some have also done great things,” he said, alluding to Michel Platini, Didier Deschamps and Zinedine Zidane. “I said to myself: ‘Why not me too?’ The directors presented their project to me and I didn’t feel like it was ‘bla-bla-bla’. I am not going to say that I’m going to follow the same path as Pogba and play regularly as soon as he did, but if I deserve it I will get the opportunity.” And didn’t Coman take it when it arrived.

Elaborating further in Le Parisien this week his aim is to play “between 15 and 20 games.” Part of a strategy to rejuvenate Juventus, after already reserving the likes of Daniele Rugani, Domenico Berardi, Manolo Gabbiadini and Simone Zaza [who was sold to Sassuolo with a buy-back clause included in the deal], the Bianconeri took further steps this summer, adding highly regarded midfielder Stefano Sturaro [who has been loaned back to Genoa], Coman and of course Morata, the 21-year-old from Real Madrid who had a better goals-per-minute ratio than Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo in La Liga last season.

Factor Pogba into that equation and the future certainly looks bright for Juventus. One thing’s for sure: the Old Lady’s kids are definitely alright.

How much playing time do you think Coman will get this season and how did you rate his Juventus debut? Let us know in the comments below