UDINE. The prize and thanks. All to confirm the importance inside the “machine” led by Andrea Sottil and to report his state of grace to another coach, the Argentina coach, Lionel Scaloni.
It is the photograph of the moment by Roberto Maximiliano Pereyra, who already arrived at 6 in the assist item with the millimeter cross – and with the tachometer – delivered to compatriot Nahuèn Perez for the equalizer against Atalanta.
The real thanks made to the whole Friuli stadium that a few minutes before kick-off had applauded him with conviction as he received the “plate” that celebrated his 150 appearances in Serie A with Udinese.
On the other hand, since he returned in September two years ago, the one who has always been the “Tucu” for all his teammates has never made the group lack commitment and convince them, a detail of no small importance for a player who it was launched by Udinese before being sold to Juventus and then being “fished out” by Gino Pozzo for Watford, a clear sign of the esteem that the owner has towards Pereyra, a sentiment reciprocated several times in words by the same player.
This is why a topic on the horizon for 30 June 2023 has not yet become hot at Juventus: the contract signed by returning to Friuli from Watford will in fact expire at the end of the season, the “Tucu” could agree with another team already at starting from the first months of the next calendar year, but it is clear that there is a sort of gentlemen’s agreement that sees Udinese in first place in the timeline of Pereyra’s choices, who will therefore notify the management in case there are different perspectives for the future.
The reference is not so much to the option of a return to River Plate, the club of his heart, the one from which Gino Pozzo took him when he was a player returning from the Under 20 World Cup, but the possibility that he will knock on the exit of P&P Sport Managament by Federico Pastorello, the agency that looks after the interests of the Argentine number 37, a strong team, a frequent visitor to the good living room of European football, the one where the cups are on display on the walls. 32 years on 7 January, for the “Tucu” it would be the occasion for the last important contract in Europe.
All notes to keep in memory, the facts are now linked only to the field and to another hope that is a priority for Pereyra in this last month before the World Cup: with his high-level performances he opened a window for a call-up in extremis, perhaps to remedy the absence of some element forced to forfeit by the infernal rhythms of this football.
It would be the right way to erase the bitterness of Scaloni’s failure to call for the last America’s Cup, despite having been part of the group for years. He could get back into it now: someone able to play indifferently on the right wing, behind the strikers or as a midfielder can be handy.