Serie A

CONCEIÇÃO IS STAYING WITH THE BIANCONERI

Juventus have decided to activate the Portuguese winger’s release clause and, as of today, he has officially signed for the Bianconeri. The former Porto player will look to continue his growth under Tudor.

Francisco Conceição is officially a Juventus player. The Bianconeri, in full agreement with manager Igor Tudor, have decided to once again invest in the Portuguese winger who joined them on a season-long loan last August. Born in 2002, “Chico” showed intriguing qualities for Italian football, combining flair and dynamism with a proactive attitude. It’s a gamble by the Juventus management, seeing margins for improvement and further potential in their young signing.

Conceição’s season at Juventus

It only took one half against Roma to get Juventus fans excited. On his home debut at the Allianz Stadium, Conceição proved himself with grit, intensity and flair. His unpredictability on the right wing gave the Giallorossi goalkeeper headaches all game, giving signs of what he could become. Thiago Motta immediately saw his potential, giving him a regular spot in his system as a right winger, the position that he played for Porto. Between convincing performances and some physiological drops, Conceição ended the year with seven goals and five assists in 40 total appearances, three of both those goals and assists came in his 26 Serie A appearances. His winner against Inter was undoubtedly the highlight of his season, making a true mark in the Derby d’Italia.

Tudor and Conceição: an evolving relationship

With Tudor’s arrival in March, both the hierarchy and system changed. The Croatian’s set-up (3-4-2-1), does not account for a right winger, and Conceição progressively took up the role of a second striker or an attacking midfielder. At the start, he had less play-time: a few minutes from the bench, but without much consistency. But his connection with the Croatian manager grew and in the last two games of the season, against Udinese and Venezia, Conceição started both times. It was at the Club World Cup that their relationship really blossomed: the Portuguese winger started three of their four games (the only one he didn’t start was against Manchester City), scoring a brace in their first match of the tournament against Al-Ain.

What Conceição can bring to Juve

Confident dribbling and changes of pace: these are Francisco Conceição's biggest weapons as a fast and technical player, gifted with outstanding pace. But that’s not all. Sérgio’s son has also shown his hard graft, putting in a shift without the ball and showing his good physical fitness. However, he is still a growing player: Tudor will get him working on tactics, defensive intelligence and linking up with his teammates, parts of his game that still have area for improvement. Conceição is a precious tactical threat in this Juventus project: he could be an ideal partner for Yıldız in more attack-minded games, or a great option from the bench as an injection of pace looking to break the deadlock. With the clause now triggered, Conceição has confirmed his future with the Bianconeri: the belief he earned in the last six months will be the basis for a player that has so much to give. (Photo Getty Images)