Axel Witsel Could Fill the Gap Left by Paul Pogba at Juventus

Finally, it's over. After months of speculation, endless rumours and a summer filled with countless false dawns, Tuesday morning saw official confirmation that Paul Pogba would indeed be returning to Manchester United.

In a statement on their official website, Juventus announced that the Premier League club would be paying a fee of €105 million for the 23-year-old. That fee will be paid over two instalments but "may increase by €5 million on achieving given conditions in the course of the duration of the contract."

— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen)August 8, 2016

The real question for fans of the Bianconeri is, what now? This summer has already seen the club invest heavily in the transfer market, and even without signing a direct replacement, coach Massimiliano Allegri has a plethora of tactical options at his disposal.

That was a matter discussed in this previous post, but—with both Sami Khedira and Claudio Marchisio expected to miss the start of the new season—directors of the Turin giants may now opt to bring in another new face.

One name repeatedly mentioned as a possible target is Axel Witsel. According to Gianluca Di Marzio—in a report translated here by David Amoyal—the Bianconeri made a bid of €18-20 million for the midfielder last month.

Now Juve needs to add a midfielder to help offset Marchisio & Khedira's injury concerns- Matic, Matuidi, Witsel, Luiz Gustavo possibilities

— David Amoyal (@DavidAmoyal) August 7, 2016

The Italian transfer expert also notes interest from Everton, who are believed to have made a much higher bid, but last year the player said he was ready to move on after winning the Russian Premier League with Zenit St Petersburg.

"I'm 26 years old, the best age to try a new experience," he said in an interview with Sudinfo (h/t FourFourTwo). "I always said I did not want to leave Zenit without lifting the league title. It's done."

Later in that same interview, Witsel went on to admit that he and his current club had spoken to Juventus, expressing his admiration for the reigning Serie A champions as they look to once again become a dominant side in Europe:

There have been discussions and they continue.

This is a super team with a beautiful project to become again what it was in the days of [Zinedine] Zidane and [Pavel] Nedved. The contact is ongoing, with both me and Zenit. It is a destination that could suit me.

He may now get the opportunity to prove that is the case and will do so as a proven performer with a vast wealth of experience to call upon. The Liege native is often seen as a destroyer of play, but while he is unlikely to get fans out of their seats as often as Pogba, he could be a perfect addition given Juve's current situation.

Last term began in disastrous fashion for Allegri's side, and circumstances will not be too dissimilar when the new campaign gets underway. In the opening rounds of 2015/16, Khedira and Marchisio were unavailable, forcing the team to rely on the likes of Stefano Sturaro and Simone Padoin all too often.

The trio of Khedira - Marchisio - Pogba will start vs Palermo.

Juventus has never lost with those 3 on the pitch. pic.twitter.com/bfa8ke894X

— Tarek Khatib (@ADP1113) April 16, 2016

Failing to win any of their first three matches, Juve were overrun in midfield and unable to match the intensity of their opponents. The acquisition of Miralem Pjanic changes that considerably, but signing a player like Witsel would allow the Bosnia international to take up a more advanced position.

From there, the former AS Roma man could use his creativity to push the Old Lady to even greater heights, confident that the defence would be adequately protected by the presence of the Belgium star.

WyScout

According to statistics from WhoScored.com, Witsel averaged 2.9 tackles, two interceptions and 1.6 clearances in seven Champions League appearances last season, cementing his reputation as a solid performer on the biggest stage.

That is further reinforced by numbers from the Squawka website, their stats showing he won 56 percent of the tackles he attempted in the Champions League, also winning an eye-catching 81 percent of the headed duels he contested.

Yet he is capable of so much more, repeatedly showing that he possesses great technique and a superb ability to read the game. Consistently making the right pass at the right moment, Witsel is a player who knows his limitations and plays within them, rarely opting to attempt the outrageous when a simple option is available.

Indeed, figures from Who Scored also show that he attempted an average of 52.1 passes in the Russian Premier League last season, connecting with an impressive 89.1 percent of them, and created 0.8 scoring chances per game.

squawka.com

Axel Wisel 2015/16

Numbers taken from Squawka again add further context, with Witsel—who scored six goals in all competitions last term—hitting the target with 67 percent of his shot attempts, a notably high mark for a player who rarely hits the headlines for his scoring ability.

As the video below highlights, he often simply tackles, covers and keeps the game moving in straightforward fashion, but he can occasionally produce a moment of supreme skill to surprise even the toughest opponents.

Zenit boss Mircea Lucescu certainly believes that Witsel is ready to shine in Serie A, explaining in a recent interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport (h/t Football Italia) just how highly he rates the 27-year-old:

They'd be taking someone who is ready to play right away. Then again, who knows, we may be able to convince him to stay. He is always essential in every team he plays for.

He's got character and he's a universal midfielder. He covers a lot of ground, he can play in every role in the middle of the pitch and alongside anyone. Technically he's excellent. He plays with both feet, he can cover [Claudio] Marchisio's role and at the same time give a little extra something in the attack, because he has good runs and he's strong in the box.

The veteran coach would go on to praise the Belgian even more, however, adding that he doesn't "see any great differences right now between him and Pogba" besides their respective ages.

That is certainly stretching the truth somewhat, but there is little doubt that Witsel could fill a void left by the younger man's highly feted return to Manchester United.

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