Italians claim Juventus regret swapping Alberto for João Mário | OneFootball

The exchange between FC Porto and Juventus involving João Mário and Alberto Costa was one of the most remarkable operations of the summer market in Portugal, not only because of the amount involved but also due to the media attention; the Italians commented on this transfer again during the international break.

The Gazzetta dello Sport states that the Turin team is "regretting" letting the former Vitória de Guimarães player leave for his compatriot and highlights the player's numbers in this excellent start to the season under Farioli's orders. "Almost an assist per game..." can be read in the headline.

In seven matches, Alberto recorded five assists, all in the League, where he is the top assistant alongside Dinis Pinto, also a right-back, from Moreirense. The 22-year-old missed two league matches due to injury and played only 45 minutes in the UEFA Europa League.

João Mário started in only three of the seven games (319 minutes on the field) and has one assist in the UEFA Champions League, in the 4-4 draw at home with Dortmund – a goal that was, however, more Yildiz's merit than the Portuguese international's. In the last match against Milan, he didn't even leave the bench, as Tudor sometimes uses Kalulu or McKennie on the right flank.

"For Juve, it was like a shooting star: he arrived suddenly in January and left just over six months later, just when he was starting to shine. The problem, however, is that in the meantime, he continued to shine at the new club, while his replacement is struggling to find space and, for now, those playing in his position are doing so in an adapted manner. If talking about regret might be premature, certainly Juventus fans are wondering what would have happened if Alberto Costa had remained with the team..." can be read in the Italian news.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.