Midfielders Juventus can sign in this second half of the season

Juventus is dealing with a shortage of midfielders after losing Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli, both banned for the rest of this season.

Max Allegri’s men started the term by loaning out some of their budding midfielders and felt they have enough cover in that part of their squad.

However, Pogba was shockingly suspended weeks into for failing a drug test.

The Frenchman is waiting to find out how long he will be banned, which could be up to four years.

Not long after Pogba was suspended, Juve had another issue involving a midfielder as Fagioli admitted to being addicted to betting.

It was a scandal that threatened the entire fabric of Italian football, and the Juve youngster was banned for at least seven months, which effectively ended his season.

Faced with a closed transfer window and without two key members of their squad, Juve had to go about their business and worked hard for a good first half of the term.

Surprisingly, they have coped well and are in the Serie A second place after Inter Milan, who have a better squad.

However, there are just two points separating them from the Nerazzurri, making it hard not to consider Juve serious contenders for the league title.

But the Old Lady must improve its midfield if they want to win the league and the Italian Cup, and we have listed some midfielders who could join them this month.

Juventus fans who buy their tickets from trusted ticket resellers will be eager to see one or two midfielders join their team this month, and these are good options:

Kalvin Phillips, Manchester City

Phillips was one of the best midfielders in Europe when he played for Leeds United, which prompted Manchester City to add him to their squad.

The Citizens have some of the finest players in the world in their group, and Phillips knew he had to compete with the bests for a spot on the team.

A combination of injuries and poor form denied him a lot of game time, and he is out of favour at the Etihad Stadium now.

City knows he has to leave, and Phillips is open to a move to Serie A to play for Juventus. This means the Old Lady may not have to do much to convince him to join them.

Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg, Tottenham

Hojbjerg has been one of the first names on the team sheet at Tottenham since he joined the club, but that all changed this term when Ange Postecoglou became their manager.

The Australian manager has preferred Pape Matar Sarr and Yves Bissouma over Hojbjerg, which means the Dane hardly starts games.

Rodrigo Bentancur and Oliver Skipp also start some games ahead of the former Bayern Munich and Southampton star.

He is a player who could leave the club this month, and he will be valuable to Juve.

The Old Lady needs someone who has been getting minutes, and Hojbjerg has filled in well for the players who have left for the AFCON.

However, Spurs will want to sell him outright for a fee instead of sending him out on loan this month, which will be Juve’s preference.

Rodrigo de Paul, Atletico de Madrid

Another midfielder Juve has targeted recently is De Paul, who won the World Cup with Argentina last year.

The Bianconeri have followed him since he played for Udinese in the Italian top flight, and he remains on their radar while in Spain.

Under Diego Simeone, De Paul has developed even further, but he is not a guaranteed starter like most players at the Madrid club.

We also know that Atletico is more than happy to sell any player in their group, so Juve could find joy in trying to find a breakthrough.

But like several players on this list, they may be forced to make cash available for a permanent move.

De Paul may not start every game for Atletico, but he is a quality player, and Atleti will not want him to leave in the midway point of the season.

They know they need the best men for this second half of the term to finish comfortably inside the top four.

De Paul will fancy a return to Serie A, but Juve must pay up to get the deal done, knowing he can solve their problem.

Ederson, Atalanta

Ederson has done a good job since Atalanta added him to their squad from Salernitana in the summer of 2022.

He spent only six months at his previous club and that was enough to convince La Dea to sign him, a decision that has proved inspiring.

The defensive midfielder is a brilliant cover for the Atalanta defence, and he is helping their rebuild.

Juve has enjoyed watching him and have added him to their shopping list in this transfer window.

Atalanta is a talent magnet and know how to develop players when they add them to their squad, so Juve is sure they will sign a ready-made midfielder if Ederson joins them.

However, Atalanta does not seem to be in any financial trouble, which means they can ask for a good fee before releasing him.

Juve will eventually have to make money available if they are serious about signing top players this month and it remains unclear if Ederson will be affordable to them.

Jordan Henderson, Al-Ettifaq

Former Liverpool captain Henderson is reportedly keen to return to Europe just six months after his move to Saudi Arabia.

The Englishman went there for the money, but he is now unsettled and wants a return to Europe, which offers Juve a chance to sign a top player on loan.

The midfielder will come to Turin with so much experience if the Bianconeri can pull off the transfer.

He earns a lot of money in Saudi Arabia, but his desperation to be back on the continent means he will willingly give up much of his wages to secure a deal back to the continent.

As Juve struggles to make cash available to buy anyone, they could land Henderson on loan and pay just a fraction of his wages.

He could be a leading figure in their dressing room that will help them overtake Inter Milan to win the Serie A title.

Lazar Samardzic, Udinese

Samardzic was unstoppable at Udinese last season, which prompted all the top clubs in Serie A to show interest in the Serbian.

He came agonisingly close to moving to Inter Milan before the move broke down, and he stayed at his present club.

The Serbian remains one of the finest midfielders in the country and Udinese is ready to sell.

Juve could snap him up in a loan-to-buy agreement this month and enjoy his talents for the rest of the season.

The Bianconeri know he is one of the finest players around and would not want to allow another Serie A side to add him to their group, amidst rumours that Napoli is also keen to land him.

If Juve seriously wants to win the league and the Italian Cup at the end of this season, they must improve on that midfield this month.