Nico Gonzalez: Ready for the great leap forward at Juventus?

He was Fiorentina’s record signing, but he never quite hit the heights he had hoped for in Florence, so Giancarlo Rinaldi asks if Nicolas Gonzalez can fully deliver after moving to bitter rivals Juventus.

There were great games, brilliant goals and beautiful moments during his time in Tuscany. And yet, somehow, he never produced his magic with enough consistency at the Stadio Artemio Franchi to live up to his significant price tag. But now, with a move to the club most detested on the Curva Fiesole, can a 26-year-old Nicolas Gonzalez finally convince the doubters of his quality?

It wasn’t that he was a failure in Florence, just that he never quite made the step up to Serie A superstar on a regular basis. His leap for headers was a joy to behold for a guy who was not the tallest in the division. On his day, he could torture defenders for fun before delivering a telling ball into the box. And, for a while, his little skip-step penalty was impossible to save until – all of a sudden – it wasn’t any more.

Indeed, if you wanted a microcosm of Gonzalez’s time in purple then that was possibly it. His spot-kicks were magnificent and then infuriating which was often like his entire performances. When called upon to produce the brilliance that could finally win his club a trophy, he was unable to provide what they needed – and probably expected – from their standout star. A trophy might have made them remember him differently.

Now Nico Gonzalez makes a move that has remained a contentious one since Roberto Baggio travelled the same route more than 30 years ago. There was a time when the Viola would sell to anyone but Juventus but recent years have seen that change significantly. Federico Bernardeschi, Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic are among the most recent men to be flogged off to La Vecchia Signora with somewhat mixed results.

Nico Gonzalez faces Juventus pressure

All the elements look there to make Gonzalez a success with the Bianconeri. While Max Allegri could be a bit of a graveyard for attacking players, Thiago Motta was able to mine gold from his forwards and creative midfielders at Bologna. If he can wave the same magic wand that he used on Riccardo Orsolini then everyone in Turin would surely be happy.

But something has to click in the player himself and he is about the right age to make the step from intermittent to regular matchwinner. Undoubtedly, Gonzalez will be surrounded by more quality at his new club than he was at his old so that should help him too. There really can be no excuses not to perform at the highest level week-in, week-out at Juve.

We know, of course, that anything less will not be accepted. Allegri famously told Bernardeschi he was no longer at Fiorentina when he was unhappy with his displays, and although Motta is unlikely to repeat that slight, its essence still remains. They are habitual winners at the Allianz Stadium, and it surely won’t be enough to make the finals, lose them, or perform gallantly, but fail to achieve much in Serie A.

So it is time to leave the thumping of the Fiorentina badge behind him and move on to kissing the Juve emblem – with all the pressure that brings. A slightly convoluted big money deal brings with it great expectations that he will have to live up to. This is the acid test of whether Nico Gonzalez can make a lasting mark on Italy’s top flight or be no more than a passing meteor. His new fans will hope he can become the best of a long string of acquisitions to arrive in their colours from a club that loves to hate them.