Thiago Motta has said that he would be ‘the happiest coach in the world’ if either Nicolo Savona or Manuel Locatelli turn out to be able to replace the injured Gleison Bremer at centre-back for Juventus, as the Bianconeri plan for an extended period without the Brazilian.
Bremer suffered a cruciate ligament (ACL) injury in the first half of Wednesday’s hectic 3-2 win against RB Leipzig in the Champions League and is expected to be sidelined for a minimum of six months, if not longer.
Central defence is an area where Juventus are relatively light, as Pierre Kalulu and Federico Gatti are the only ‘natural’ senior centre-backs in the first-team squad. There have already been suggestions that the club could return to the market in January, and Arsenal’s Jakub Kiwior could be an option.
There are still plenty of games to be played before January, though, and Juventus may have to trial a few new faces in the centre-back role with a busy fixture list lying ahead of them.
Motta on Locatelli and Savona centre-back options for Juventus
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Saturday, Thiago Motta was asked if he might be able to try either Nicolo Savona or holding midfielder Manuel Locatelli in the centre-back role.
“Why not? I would be the happiest coach in the world,” Thiago Motta said when asked about the possibility of playing Locatelli at centre-back.
“Savona, too, but these are things I need to see in training. I hope so.”
Savona is a right-back by trade, but has height on his side, while Locatelli, a midfielder, could potentially be tested Manchester City midfielder Rodri has previously done for Spain.
Thiago Motta confirms five Juventus absences but refuses Pogba comment