Alvaro Morata was not the third-choice signing as he was always a priority for Juventus, insists head coach Andrea Pirlo.
Spain striker Morata sealed his return to Turin on an initial season-long deal from Atletico Madrid, with Juve retaining an option to make the deal permanent for €45million or pay an additional €10m to loan him for a further campaign.
Juve had been tipped to sign Luis Suarez from Barcelona before the deal broke down and he joined Atleti, while Edin Dzeko was also linked with a move from Roma.
But Morata arrived instead to fill a void left by Gonzalo Higuain s departure to Inter Miami, with the 27-year-old having left to re-join Real Madrid in 2016 and subsequently spending time at Chelsea and Atleti.
Pirlo, who started his coaching career with a convincing 3-0 win over Sampdoria last week, said the fact he previously played alongside Morata was a big draw.
We were waiting for a striker and he arrived, he told a news conference ahead of the Serie A clash against Roma on Sunday.
Alvaro Morata knows us well and I was fortunate enough to have played with him.
He was not a third choice but one of our priorities, from a technical and tactical aspect he s what we were looking for.
It was always meant to be:
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Dzeko is set to come up against Juve at Stadio Olimpico and Pirlo acknowledged the threat he poses.
He could have been a Juve striker, but he remains a great player, Pirlo added. We respect him, but unfortunately he will be an opponent tomorrow.
Pirlo has a couple of selection posers to ponder against Roma with midfielder Arthur – a close-season arrival from Barca – in contention having been an unused substitute against Sampdoria, while forward Paulo Dybala returned to training this week after a muscular issue.
We ve worked with Paulo Dybala, who has gradually returned with the group, Pirlo said. Let s see how he feels today and whether he can travel to Rome.
Also, Arthur is coming from a period of inactivity but has worked very well. He s settling in, from a tactical and physical point of view.
He hasn t played much at Barcelona either. He needs a period of acclimatisation, he s available tomorrow and we ll see whether to let him play or not.
