Juventus Urged to Bench Szczesny for Perin

Former Napoli and Udinese midfielder Valon Behrami has urged Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri to consider replacing Wojciech Szczesny with Mattia Perin in goal. During an interview with DAZN, the Swiss star backed his ex-Genoa teammate to leapfrog the Poland international in the pecking order.

Behrami and Perin spent some time together at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris toward the end of the midfielder’s career in Serie A a few years ago. The 30-year-old goalkeeper, who swapped Genoa for Juventus in 2018, briefly returned to Liguria during a two-year loan between 2019 and 2021. 

Perin’s temporary return to Genoa was enough for Behrami to testify to his goalkeeping prowess first-hand. And while the Italian excelled with the Griffins, his first-team opportunities at Juventus have been at a premium. He has been playing second fiddle to Szczesny for years.

However, a recent turn of events could play straight into his hands. The Polish stopper performed poorly against Sassuolo on Saturday, making several rookie mistakes, which led to a catastrophic 4-2 defeat. Behrami believes Juventus should give Perin the benefit of the doubt after neglecting him for years.

“We don’t have to chastise Szczesny, but he indeed made several blunders that affected the outcome,” he said, as relayed by JuventusNews24. “I think Perin is ready to play as a starter. In my opinion, he gives a boost of energy and has a great personality.“

Despite Behrami’s attempt to change Allegri’s mind, there’s a feeling Szczesny will be between the sticks when Juventus take on Lecce on Tuesday.