In the summer of 2019, the two young Ajax stars left their favorite club on their way to a destination they defined as dreamy. After three years, they find themselves in completely different situations. Barcelona are trying their best to sell Frankie de Jong, but the midfielder insists on staying at the Camp Nou and trying to fulfill himself in the team he has dreamed of since he was a child. Juventus, on the other hand, offered to extend his contract with Matisse de Licht, but the 22-year-old brakeman preferred to give up the option and demanded a move. Just when he was due to officially become the home front of the old lady after the departure of veteran captain Giorgio Chiellini, the Dutchman chose to open a new page and sign for Bayern Munich.
This move should come as no surprise to anyone who has been following de Licht lately. In December, in one of his last interviews, his late agent stated Mino Raiola: “A pilot is ready to take the next step in his career.” When asked about a new possible destination, he replied in the characteristic cynical tone: “This will not be Fortuna Düsseldorf.” And perhaps the initial media speculations talked about Manchester United, Chelsea, Real Madrid, Barcelona and even Paris Saint-Germain, then the mention of the name of a modest German club was a clear hint. De Licht did not intend to move to Düsseldorf, but only to the largest team in Germany.
Shortly afterwards, Bayern finally lost to Nicklas Zola who chose not to renew his contract and left on a free transfer to Borussia Dortmund. This left a considerable space in the center of defense, and he stood out even more in the face of the adaptation difficulties of Dayo Opmecano who demonstrated instability in his debut season at the Allianz Arena after the move from Leipzig. Later, the club got into a crisis when Robert Lewandowski demanded to leave, and Serge Gnabry did not intend to extend his contract and started a fight against the management. Under these conditions, sporting director Hassan Slihmidic needed a significant achievement.
The bringing in of Sadio Mana was, of course, a great success, and so was the signing of the Ajax star duo, right-back Nuseir Mazrawi and midfielder Ryan Harravenbrech, but it was not enough. Another glittering acquisition may help fans perceive the current transfer window in a positive light, and de Licht certainly meets the definition. The fact that its cost amounted to only 67 million euros, meaning that it is mostly financed through the sale of Lewandowski to Barça, is an essential flash. The Pole is a superstar, but the Dutchman is more than a decade younger than him, and Juventus have agreed to let him go at a loss compared to the 75 million euros paid for him. It makes the Italian club look like the losing side of the deal, and in quite a few ways this is indeed the case, even though it did not have many choices.
On paper, the addition of de Licht in 2019 was supposed to make the perfect match. Here you have the perfect heir not only to Cagliani, but also to Leonardo Bonucci, because the Dutchman is known for his love of supporting attacks and developing the game behind. De Licht, then only 19, scored the winning goal for Juventus in the quarter-finals of the Champions League in Turin, and after the final whistle Cristiano Ronaldo approached him on his own, and offered – as a half-joke – to join the team.
This prophecy came true, and goalkeeper Wojciech Szczesny joked that the old lady tended to acquire any player who ousted her from the Champions League. The Dutchman immediately became a vital car player and continued to be dominant for all three years in Italy, but never completely convinced the fans and commentators, and his choice to embark on a new path is greatly influenced by that as well. In addition, the dismal results and instability in the coach’s position have gradually led to De Licht no longer seeing his professional future at Juventus as beneficial to him professionally.
In the Netherlands, de Licht used to enjoy support even when he made a mistake. Everyone saw it as an extraordinary lift, and natural errors were accepted with forgiveness. How else can it be? He was one of the youngest players in the history of the club, played in the Europa League final at the age of 17, wore the captain’s armband shortly afterwards, and also made his orange team debut back in 2017. This adventure ended badly with two mistakes in the loss to Bulgaria in the World Cup qualifiers, but the journalists were angry not at him, but at coach Danny Blind who replaced him in the half and threatened to destroy the new star’s self-confidence. No one wanted him to be afraid to express himself and de Licht did indeed blossom. However, he revealed that Juventus have no patience for momentary failures.
De Licht did not just get used to the new life in Turin. He moved to a stiff 4-3-3 formation from Mauricio Sari, was required to play much further than his extension without the ball, and would also often function as a left-back despite being right-footed. One could sympathize with him, but the price tag was too high, and when the balls hit his hands wide in three consecutive games, his image was damaged and some were quick to define him as an unstable player.
In practice, this label should be affixed to Yuba management. After seducing Sari to sign against all common sense, she rushed to throw him out after just one season despite winning the championship that was taken for granted. Andrea Pirlo first took his place in a rather delusional move, with no basic experience and then it became clear that the first place was not in the group’s pocket. De Licht loved working with the maestro, especially since Pirlo was his role model when he began his career at the Ajax academy as a midfielder, but this affair did not develop either, as the new boss was also dismissed.
Massimiliano Allegri actually suited the Dutchman’s style well, and last season was the highest quality for him, but the championship was not achieved again, and the ongoing managerial crisis made Brake think about his future at the beginning of the season. Meanwhile, the media were still mostly looking for the issues, and he never got the attitude of a truly successful procurement.
It happened, among other things, that de Licht became the highest paid player at Juventus following the departure of Ronaldo. The club, which wanted to extend his contract until 2026 instead of 2024, preferred to reach an agreement on a certain reduction in salary, in exchange for lowering the release clause to 100 million euros. De Licht demanded that a lower and more reasonable amount be recorded in market terms, the contacts reached a dead end, and Raiola’s death actually hastened the separation. De Licht Felt exhausted, and did not believe that his status as Kylini’s successor would work in his favor. At Bayern he is welcomed with open arms, where he will be able to enjoy freedom of action as a back-to-back player, not to mention a better chance of winning the championship and reaching the most advanced stages of the Champions League. “I’ll play here like I did in Ajax, in Yuba it was a little different,” he declared after the move.
and also Louis van Gaal, His current coach on the team, contributed his share to the decision. Although the Dutchman was angry with Bayern when he was fired from it in 2011, he provided a warm recommendation for the ex when the brakeman asked to check his opinion. “The philosophy at the club is excellent, you will love Bayern if you sign it,” said the veteran mentor. There is a reasonable basis to believe he is right. The move to Juventus was supposed to take De Licht to new heights and strengthen his reputation, but that did not happen. At Bayern he may soar again and realize the potential to be one of the best in the world in his role.