João Mário to Juventus

In the last few weeks I've been absent and the Italian transfer window literally blew up, so this one will probably be the last single-player focus until the window closes. Since I've come back, I've also worked a little bit on my data to provide more complete analysis on transfers. To pick up where I left off, I'm going to evaluate the latest incoming transfer Juventus completed: the swap deal with Porto that brought João Mário to Torino in exchange for Alberto Costa, basically.

The Good and the Bad

I'll say this right now: this is good and bad business for Juventus at the same time. Why is that?

Juventus are getting a player who is much more ready to compete at the required level for the team – than Costa – and in a position that wasn't really covered in the team squad last year – the right wingback in a three centerbacks defensive structure. They're getting him essentially by cashing in a couple of million euros while giving up a talented player who will probably end up costing a lot more than the €15+1 million Porto are paying for him on paper, after he's been coached properly.

Juventus brought in a player who will be 26 in January and therefore in his peak age, while letting go of another who will be 22 in September – around 3 years younger than peak age. They're clearly moving towards a more instant team direction when they’re without the financial freedom to hold onto assets with more future value. Makes sense, but I'm not super excited.

João Mário: Player Profile

But what about the player João actually is?

First of all, he's quite a good wingback. He put up good numbers in regard to defensive quality and effectiveness, though he's not high on quantity. He's quite reliable on the ball with average turnover numbers but higher than average passing numbers, and really high carrying + dribbling, and assisting numbers.

His numbers are also somewhat improving from the 23/24 season, giving further confidence in his ability to be a good piece inside the squad assuming the numbers either keeps improving or stay the same.

He's not going to add a lot of value shooting the ball, as he shot only 20 times last season between the Europa League, Liga Portugal, and Club World Cup for a total of 1.01 xG. However, he certainly is an interesting asset in terms of creation. He clearly is an offensive threat, and his assist map shows that he knows hot to make his teammates have good chances. It also has to be noted that his teammates actually converted less than the expectations.

Not only that, but he's quite dribbly as he tries a more take-ons than the average wingback.

He was a player who brought the ball into the box a lot for Porto last season, with whatever skill you'd like to look at. A much-needed addition to what Juventus did last season, since they relied quite completely on Yıldız and Chico to create something.

Final Verdict

The real judgment on this deal lies in what Alberto Costa will become in the medium term versus what Juventus will achieve in the short term. If Alberto Costa becomes Real Madrid's starting right back in 4 years, unless João Mário proves to be one of the best players in silverware-winning seasons, we can say this could be considered "not stonks."