Paulo Dybala has been linked with Manchester City and Liverpool, but the Argentinean striker would need to rediscover his false 9 skills should he join any of the two Premier League giants.
The Argentinean sees his Juventus contract expire at the end of the season and according to reports in Italy, he is unhappy with the club’s decision to withdraw a €10m-a-year contract offer they had placed only a few weeks ago.
Dybala could walk out of the club as a free agent in July with Inter, Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur reportedly interested in securing his services.
As we’ve already explained in another article here on Football Italia, Dybala has failed to impress when deployed as a winger at Juventus.
The 28-year-old is a support striker or an attacking midfielder who likes to come deep to get the ball, connecting attack and midifeld.
On paper, Inter’s 3-5-2 would be the best system to bring out his quality in the final third, but the Nerazzurri may not put the most lucrative offer on the table, not to mention that they are Juventus’ harshest rivals in Italy.
Antonio Conte would offer him the chance to play in the same system at Tottenham, but Spurs do not have the same status as Liverpool and Manchester City. Offers from England could definitely tempt the Argentinean.
However, Dybala can’t replace any of Liverpool or City’s wingers on paper as he doesn’t have the same pace and intensity.
He could be deployed as a false 9 instead, a role which he hasn’t covered consistently since his time at Palermo.
La Joya spent his first season in Serie A with the Rosanero, playing as a sole striker under Beppe Iachini.
Dybala scored 13 goals and registered ten assists in the first 35 Serie A games in his career before completing a €40m to Juventus in the summer of 2015.
Massimiliano Allegri has sometimes used him in the same role at Juventus, but the Argentinean failed to reach the same standards and has shown his best qualities when placed behind another centre forward.
Clearly, the physical strength of Premier League defenders is much different to those of Serie A and Dybala’s adaptation to Premier League football may not be easy at all.
However, La Joya has already played as a false 9 and working under two of the best coaches in the world, such as Jurgen Klopp or Pep Guardiola, could help him rediscover a skill that he seems to have lost.