Jay Idzes and his chance to move up a class with Sassuolo

The central defender and captain of the Indonesian national team, Jay Idzes, has put an end to all rumors regarding his future by joining Sassuolo. A fee of 7.5 million euros, or approximately 142 billion rupiah, was paid by "Neroverde," the nickname of the Serie A promotion team, to secure Jay's services.

La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that Sassuolo also included a €500,000 (Rp 9.47 billion) release clause in Jay's transfer. The clause will be paid to Venezia if Jay helps Sassuolo stay in Italy's top flight this season.

The Indonesian national team player's transfer fee aligns with Jay's market value as of last June. After completing his first season in Serie A, Jay recorded the highest market value, according to Transfermarkt, at 7.5 million euros.

"I'm delighted to be here. See you soon at the stadium. Forza, Sassuolo," Jay said in his video welcoming him as a new Sassuolo player on Sunday (August 10, 2025).

Despite failing to help Venezia secure Serie A status for the 2024-2025 season, Jay is a gem sought after by many mid-table Italian clubs. Football Italia reports that Hellas Verona and Torino are two other clubs who have made offers to Venezia for Jay.

Sassuolo coach Fabio Grosso, a 2006 World Cup winner, has confidence in Jay for good reason. Grosso sees great potential in Jay, who is only 25 years old.

Armed with an ideal stature of 1.9 meters, Jay is on the right track to develop under Grosso's guidance. Moreover, Jay possesses skills that are highly sought after by modern defenders.

Not only is he a center-back with the highest market value belonging to Sassuolo, but his excellent physical condition and proficient technical skills are also Jay's assets in competing for a starting position in Neroverde.

Jay, who wears the number 21 jersey at Sassuolo, is the only Venezia player who managed to reach 3,000 minutes of play in Serie A last season. Specifically, the PSV Eindhoven academy graduate appeared in 35 out of 38 matches for Venezia. He recorded a total of 3,128 minutes of play.

On the other hand, Jay also established himself as a Venezia player with the best passing accuracy in Serie A. With an average of 45 passes per match, Jay's passing success rate reached 87 percent. This demonstrates the consistent performance that Jay has displayed while wearing the Venezia jersey.

The record of 61 touches per match also indicates that Venezia relies on Jay in the process of building attacks from the back line. Jay created eight key passes and four opportunities, demonstrating his keen sense of observing the opponent's game.

In terms of defense, Jay is the most outstanding player. His record of 74 percent successful tackles was unmatched by any other central defender at Venezia last season.

Jay also made 153 clearances, 32 interceptions, and 32 blocks against the opponent's shots. In these three defensive attributes, the slick-haired defender was once again unmatched in the Venezia squad.

Venezia recorded six matches without conceding a goal in Serie A for the 2024-2025 season. Of the total matches without conceding, five were played while Jay was on the field from the kickoff.

One aspect that could make Jay irreplaceable with Sassuolo is his flawless performance. He played 35 matches with Venezia in his debut season in Serie A without making a single blunder.

This condition is certainly very important for Sassuolo. In the 2024-2025 Serie B, Sassuolo's defense recorded 10 mistakes that resulted in goals for the opponents.

With the performance he displayed at Venezia last season, Jay, who was recruited by Grosso, is certainly expected to become a new mainstay in the heart of his new team's defense. The best center-back of Sassuolo last season, Tarik Muharemovic, is still very inexperienced in competing at the highest level in Italy.

The 22-year-old defender has never played in Serie A. Two seasons ago, he represented Juventus Next Gen in Serie C, and then progressed to play in Serie B for Sassuolo.

The strongest competitor and ideal partner for Jay in the central defender duo under Grosso's direction in the 4-3-3 formation is Sebastian Walukiewicz. Similar to Jay, Walukiewicz was also brought in this summer on loan with an obligation to purchase next year from Torino.

Walukiewicz has been competing in Serie A since the 2019-2020 season. Cagliari, Empoli, and Torino are three Serie A teams that have previously been the clubs of the Polish player.

Sassuolo's most senior defender, Filippo Romagna (28 years old), is the only remaining center-back from Sassuolo when they last appeared in Serie A in the 2023-2024 season. However, Romagna is likely to only serve as a backup defender.

In addition to Muharemovic and Walukiewicz, Jay's main competitor actually comes from his teammate who also just arrived from Venezia, namely Fali Cande. Arriving in the second half of last season's Serie A, Cande became Jay's main partner at Venezia since January 2025.

The harmony between Jay and Cande also has the potential to be an important addition to strengthen Sassuolo's defense.

With a strong defensive line, Sassuolo's target to compete in the mid-table is very realistic. In addition, the Neroverde is still home to the striker and club icon, Domenico Berardi.

The 31-year-old will still wear the captain's armband. He is the oldest player in the Sassuolo squad this season.

Grosso has also gained an additional talented forward with the return of Andrea Pinamonti from a one-season loan at Genoa. Pinamonti scored 10 goals in 36 matches with Genoa last season.

The Inter Milan academy graduate contributed 11 goals as Sassuolo were relegated from Serie A in the 2023-2024 season.

With the profile of the Sassuolo squad, Jay is on the right track to reach his best potential towards his golden era as a professional footballer.

If he can improve performance and keep Sassuolo from relegation in the 2025-2026 season, Jay has the opportunity to play for other giant clubs in Italy or Europe.

It's worth noting that Sassuolo is a close partner of Juventus in the transfer market. Juve frequently sends young players to Sassuolo.

"Seven years of self-development, step by step, through ups and downs. Proud to see you join Sassuolo and remain in Serie A. The dream continues and moves towards the best things," said Bilal Achenteh, Jay's agent, with hope.

The hope expressed by Achenteh was also present in all the prayers of Indonesian national team fans.