Dusan Vlahovic: Who is Juventus's new £58m striker?

Vlahovic became the youngest player since Gabriel Batistuta to score more than 20 league goals in a season for Fiorentina in 2020-21

Regular readers of the BBC Sport gossip column will recognise the name Dusan Vlahovic.

Barely a day has gone by in the past year or so without the Serbian striker being linked with a move to the Premier League or another high-profile destination by the English media.

The tabloids now need to find a new darling, though, as the 22-year-old has finally made his much mooted move from Fiorentina by opting to stay in Italy and sign for Juventus.

But who is Vlahovic, and why have Italy's most decorated club parted with £58m for his services?

Born in Belgrade, flourishing in Florence

Let's start with the basics and a bit of history. Vlahovic is striker, born in Belgrade, Serbia, where he began his professional career with one of the country's foremost clubs, Partizan.

He became their youngest player when he made his debut for them against OFK Beograd on 27 February 2016 at the age of 16 years and 24 days.

He would subsequently become their youngest scorer, taking the title from Luka Jovic - now of Real Madrid - when he netted in a 3-2 win over Radnik Surdulica on 2 April.

Rumours of a move to England began back then, but a deal with Serie A side Fiorentina was struck instead, with the forward, then only 18, making the switch to Italy for the 2018-19 season.

Much was expected of him, despite his age, but he would play just a handful of goalless senior games in that first season, starting one Serie A match. He was a regular presence in 2019-20, but his return of six goals in 30 appearances saw some quickly look to write off a player still learning on the job.

The 2020-21 campaign, though, was when he made his mark, fuelled by the faith of Cesare Prandelli, who returned to the club as manager in November 2020 but lasted only until March before resigning.

After one goal in his first 10 league games, Vlahovic exploded into life in late December with an attention-grabbing scoring spree that has yet to ease up.

From 16 December 2020, he has scored 46 times in 62 league appearances, including 20 in 24 this season. He is the youngest player to score more than 20 league goals for the Viola in a single season since that tousle-haired titan of Serie A in the 1990s and early 2000s, Gabriel Batistuta.

In 2021, only one player in Europe's top five leagues - the prolific Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski - scored more than Vlahovic's total of 33.

And of those to have netted 25 times last year, Vlahovic is only one of two aged under 25, along with Borussia Dortmund's much sought after Erling Braut Haaland.

Vlahovic has continued to excel but it was clear that Prandelli's departure from Fiorentina was a blow. After a hat-trick against Benevento in March, the striker spoke of the former Italy manager's impact on his burgeoning career.

"I owe him everything," he said. "The coach has given me space and confidence in a moment that was complicated for me.

"Post lockdown, he arrived two hours early for training. He made me understand what it means to be a champion on and off the pitch. He's gigantic everywhere."

Strong in the air, skilful on the ground

Prandelli left behind a giant asset in Vlahovic, one that Juventus now have to lead their line.

At 1.9m tall and stocky, the Serb is possessing of a stature and physical ability to shield the ball, making him a handful for any defender.

This season, he has been fouled 53 times - the third most in Serie A. Only Sampdoria's Morten Thorsby was involved in more aerial contests than Vlahovic's 267 last season.

He is not lightning fast but quick enough to pose problems and a willing runner, with a fine touch, intelligent positional sense and awareness of others.

Watching back his goals from last season and this, one is struck by the Lewandowski-esque ability to find a crucial yard on a marker or ghost into space almost unnoticed in the box before a lethal finish.

"He moves a lot but he is a striker who shows a lot of presence in the penalty area," Italian football writer Daniele Verri told BBC Sport. "He can push defenders out of the way, hold up the ball and he can pull two defenders along with him and still score.

"And he is very young. He has nowhere near yet touched his full potential."

Perhaps his most impressive quality is one rarely found in a player so young and which will serve him well if he moves to an elite club.

"He has been under pressure from fans, who have been booing him, and the club itself since it emerged that he would not extend his contract," continued Verri. "But he is still scoring goals. He is responding on the pitch.

"That, to me, shows a mental strength you need to be a top professional player."

The Serb still has plenty to work on to truly reach that elite level, though.

While he has outscored his expected goals total - the tally he should have, judged by analysis of the quality of his chances - since the start of last season, his shooting accuracy is still below many of the game's best line-leading forwards, at around 40%.

He will also need to improve his technical and tactical awareness to truly shine at a top team.

Fortunately for him, he has plenty of time on his side and now one of the game's true elite sides at which to develop his craft.

Juventus pillage Fiorentina again

Vlahovic made his international debut in October 2020 and has now scored seven times in 14 caps

It had become abundantly clear that Vlahovic's future did not lie in Florence.

Fiorentina owner Rocco Commisso revealed in a statement in October that the forward would not be extending a deal that ran until the end of the 2022-23 season, despite an offer that would have made him the highest-paid player in the club's history.

He was heavily linked with the Premier League's north London duo, Arsenal and Tottenham, but has opted instead to remain in Italy and join a Juve side struggling to recapture its mojo.

From 2011-12 to 2019-20, the Old Lady dominated Italian football, winning nine league titles on the bounce.

But after finishing fourth last season, they find themselves fifth in Serie A under the management of Massimiliano Allegri, who won five of those nine Serie A titles before quitting and returned to the club in July 2021.

It is clear to see where Vlahovic fits into a side that lost Cristiano Ronaldo in the summer and has seen a return of just eight goals in 28 appearances from Alvaro Morata.

For Fiorentina, Vlahovic joining fierce Juventus sees a worst-case scenario become reality.

Down the years, Juve have prized a number of star players away from the Viola, including Roberto Baggio, Giorgio Chiellini, Federico Bernardeschi and, last summer, Federico Chiesa, stoking the flames of resentment in the Fiore faithful.

Once again, Fiorentina's loss is Juventus' gain.

A version of this article was first published in November 2021.

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