As Juventus’ top two goalkeepers look to be on their way out, the second half of the new goalkeeper tandem that will man the goal alongside everybody’s favorite dad Carlo Pinsoglio is coming into focus.
And it’s a name that has essentially come out of nowhere.
According to multiple reports in Italy, Juventus are working to finalize a loan move for Polish international Kamil Grabara, who is currently with Wolfsburg in the German second division following their relegation from the Bundesliga last season.
Just as the case when Juve signed Guglielmo Vicario this past week, the Bianconeri will have a buy option on the 27-year-old Grabara, who has been linked with a move to Turin off and on throughout the last few years, according to Polish journalist Tomasz Włodarczyk.
If the deal is completed as is expected, Grabara will serve as Juve’s new backup to Vicario, who has now replaced Michele Di Gregorio as Luciano Spalletti’s starter in goal. Juventus backup goalkeeper of the past few seasons, Mattia Perin, is closing in on a permanent move to Serie B side Palermo.
The simple numbers from last season are not impressive for Grabara, a former Liverpool signee who never actually appeared in a game for the Reds during his five years contracted at the club. In getting relegated, Wolfsburg had the worst defense in the Bundesliga and Grabara recorded just two shutouts along the way.
Now, I won’t sit here and tell you how he actually played because it’s not like I was sitting here and watching many — if any — Wolfsburg games over the last 12 months. So all of those goals that Wolfsburg allowed certainly aren’t on him. And based on the fact that Grabara finished with one of the highest save totals in the league last season, there’s plenty of reason to believe that he was simply overwhelmed at times because the defense in front of him was pretty dang bad.
According to Włodarczyk, Grabara is somebody that another Polish goalkeeper who has recently played for Juventus, Wojciech Szczesny, gave his stamp of approval for and told the club to keep an eye on when he was playing at FC Copenhagen a few years ago. So, if that’s the case, it’s clearly a name that somebody in the front office who still remans despite all of the turnover the last couple of years, has remembered and decided to look into again.
So hey, if Grabara has Tek’s approval, then that has to mean something. And if he’s coming in to be the backup goalkeeper behind Vicario, then it very much is another kind of prove-it kind of deal at the goalkeeper position.
