Merih Demiral joins Atalanta on loan from Juventus: reports

Defender Merih Demiral has joined Atalanta on a loan deal from Juventus. This is according to Fabrizio Romano, the Italian journalist. The departure of Christain Romero from Atalanta to Tottenham Hotspur has paved the way for this deal. Demiral  joined Juventus in 2019 from Sassuolo but failed to make an impact after suffering an ACL injury in 2020. However he managed to retain his fitness and make it to the Turkey squad for Euro 2020. Meanwhile the centre-back has joined the Bergamo side on a loan deal with an option to buy him next summer.

The Turkish defender is still very young at 23 years old and he came into limelight after having a strong season with Sassuolo.

However he hasn’t been able to get back the traction he had prior to the ACL injury and therefore this loan deal may be helpful for him to get some game time and retain the form.

Where does Merih Demiral fit in at Atalanta?

Atalanta have steadily been climbing the ranks in Serie A. They have made it to the Champions League consecutively and now they are consistently up there with the top four. Their talent pool and playing style have allowed them to wreak havoc on opposition teams.

Atalanta quite often plays with three central defenders and this should assure Demiral a place in the starting eleven. Meanwhile in a two-man central defence he is likely to line up alongside Rafael Toloi.

Romero was their best defender last season and he played a pivotal part in Atalanta’s success. Therefore Demiral will have big shoes to fill at Atalanta.

The Turkish player certainly has the qualities to fill the big shoes but we will have to wait and see whether he has the high fitness levels to do it consistently at the big stage.