Juventus raised eyebrows when they decided not to offer Paulo Dybala a new deal and their investment into Angel Di Maria didn’t particularly pay off.
The Bianconeri let Dybala leave on a free transfer last year, ending his seven-year spell in the Piedmont capital. The suggestion at the time was that the club didn’t want to pay the talented forward so much considering his injury concerns, pushing them to look for a replacement.
Juventus picked up Di Maria for free last summer, offering him a one-year contract worth around €7m net per season plus add-ons. The hope was that he could add some extra firepower to the squad following Dybala’s departure, but a year on the club’s decision now appears to have been the wrong one.
Goal Italia highlights how Di Maria played and scored less for Juventus this season than Dybala did last campaign, suggesting that the club may have been better off renewing the younger Argentine.
This season, Di Maria scored eight goals and provided seven assists in 2200 minutes of action across 39 appearances. In comparison, Dybala’s last season in Turin saw him score 15 goals and provide six assists in 2614 minutes of play across 39 games.
It’s a similar story when comparing Di Maria’s year in Turin and Dybala’s debut campaign in the Italian capital. For Roma, the 29-year-old has scored 16 goals and provided eight assists in 2344 minutes of action across 36 matches.
Dybala left Turin a much-loved figure, whilst Di Maria was booed off the pitch in what will likely be his last home game for Juventus, a sign that the club seemingly took the wrong path last year.