Opinion: Four reasons why Juventus should keep Filip Kostic | OneFootball

In the summer of 2022, Juventus fans were excited to welcome Filip Kostic, who was at the time the newly-crowned Europa League MVP, after guiding Eintracht Frankfurt towards a historic feat.

This summer, the Serbian has made his way back to Continassa with the same confident smirk and elegant look. However, the aura surrounding him had long vanished.

The 32-year-old had a decent first season in Turin, but it was followed by a rather disappointing campaign that saw him charged with additional defensive tasks under the orders of Max Allegri.

After a year on loan at Fenerbahce, Kostic has returned to Juventus for his final contractyear, but perhaps he might be able to offer important contributions to the cause, and here are four reasons why:

Backup for Cambiaso

At this stage, Andrea Cambiaso is the undisputed first choice on the left flank, and rightfully so. Therefore, Juventus don’t need to rock the boat, especially with other departments requiring more attention at the moment.

Hence, pairing the Italy international with a reliable and experienced understudy like Kostic would be the best solution for the time being.

Marginal Transfer Fee

This summer, Juventus have already sold Samuel Mbangula, and they’re planning to offload others like Douglas Luiz, Dusan Vlahovic, Nicolas Gonzalez and Timothy Weah.

But while these players should be able to generate significant transfer fees, the same cannot be said about Kostic, especially with his contract expiring in less than a year. Therefore, selling the Serbian might not have a major impact on the balance sheet.

Filip Kostic (Getty Images)

Tactical Suitability

As mentioned above, Kostic was arguably deployed too deep by Allegri, thus hampering his performances. Curiously, Tudor would deploy him in the same role on paper (a left wingback), but he would likely operate in a more advanced area of the pitch, as we’ve seen with other wingbacks in recent months.

So while he’d still be expected to track back and support the defenders, Kostic would be given more freedom to surge forward and cause havoc with his delicate crosses.

Waiting for Cabal

Tudor should eventually have Cabal at his disposal following his return from an ACL injury, but the Colombian might need a few more months to regain his optimal physical condition.

So instead of investing in a new signing, Juventus can simply rely on Kostic, at least until January, before making way for Cabal. It should also be noted that the 24-year-old can play as left centre-back, so there could be room for both of them if they manage to convince.