Emre Can left Juventus in January 2020 due to lack of playing time under Maurizio Sarri, but many fans and pundits feel the Germany international would be a regular starter in Turin this season.
Borussia Dortmund’s qualification to the Champions League final has brought plenty of regrets for Juventus fans who feel the 30-year-old would be a regular starter at the Allianz Stadium in 2023-24.
Emre Can joined Juventus on a free transfer after the end of his contract with Liverpool in 2018. After a promising first season under Max Allegri, he struggled with playing time under Maurizio Sarri in 2019-20 and was not even included in the Bianconeri UEFA list.
His transfer to Borussia Dortmund in January 2020 was a massive relief for the ex-Liverpool midfielder, who blamed Sarri after his return to Germany.
Emre Can: Sarri’s decision sparks Juventus fans’ regrets
“He [Sarri] took 20 seconds to tell me that I was not on the [UEFA] list, and from that moment, I was denied any chance. It was unfair,” Emre Can told Kicker in March 2020, as quoted by Sky Sport Italia.
“That’s why I wanted to leave in January. It has nothing to do with the club, because Juventus are a top side, with great fans and an excellent city. I wanted to play football again.”
Emre Can’s relationship with Sarri was so poor that the midfielder liked the Juventus Instagram post confirming the coach’s sacking in the summer of 2020.
Juventus fans and pundits on social media are now reconsidering Sarri’s decision, and Sandro Sabatini, one of the country’s most popular football journalists, said the German would be a “regular starter” at the Allianz Stadium now.
Other outlets such as Calciomercato.com and Ilbianconero.com have said the same, while ex-coach Fabio Capello urged Juventus to sign a quality midfielder to close the gap with Inter next season.