Summer signings Jonathan David and Lois Openda have been surprisingly slow at adapting to the slower pace of Serie A.
Arkadiusz Milik has been sidelined for over a season with no takers to take him on loan, while Dusan Vlahovic tends to only find the back of the net after arriving off the bench so has become an effective supersub.
Goals dried up for Juventus under Igor Tudor, the former head coach oversaw a dismal run of Juve failing to net for a whopping 394 minutes. His one-dimensional tactics, bizarre second half substitutions and a staggering winless run of eight games resulted in being given the boot after just seven months.
Former Italy and Napoli manager Luciano Spalletti has inherited a lightweight squad, who were sapped of confidence under Tudor and lacked cohesion.
Spalletti’s impressive track record was the reason he was swiftly brought in until the end of June, and he marked his maiden match at Juventus with a hard-fought 2-1 triumph at Serie A’s surprise package Cremonese.
With matches coming thick and fast, a home Champions League tie on Tuesday followed by a weekend Derby delle Mole against neighboring club Torino beckons before the two-week international break.
Spalletti’s trademark touchline antics of eye-popping fuming, when Openda and Vlahovic fluffed scoring chances, were witnessed against newly-promoted Cremonese.
He has a swift turnaround for the back-to-back games before he can really shake things up and evaluate the strengths of the squad he inherited.
Spalletti is gifted the perfect pairing
As his surprise 2022/23 Serie A campaign at Napoli was built around a center forward and a left winger, having Vlahovic and Turkish talent Kenan Yildiz available to emulate that Scudetto success should soon elevate Juventus into serious title contenders.
Yet there is much interest in both of his shining stars, who could leave in the winter if there’s no chance of potentially winning silverware this season.
Yildiz is a Juventus Next Gen graduate with a high price tag, so the Turin titans would at least make big bucks if the 20-year-old is lured to one of the European giants who are monitoring him.
Vlahovic, whose prolific form at Fiorentina saw Juve splash the cash in January 2022, has been the club’s top scorer since he switched clubs. Yet he is out of contract in the summer, so unless he makes a U-turn about extending his deal then the Bianconeri will wish to cash in during the winter transfer window.
Endrick is a long shot for Juve
There are potential replacements being lined up should Serbia star Vlahovic make a move. Juventus were exploring to bring Real Madrid’s Endrick on loan during the summer, and after that failed to materialize the club had been keen for his January arrival. Now Aston Villa and Manchester United are in pole position to land the 19-year-old Brazilian ace.
Both Barcelona and Bayern Munich are serious contenders to sign Vlahovic and Yildiz, with the German giants aware that hot shot Harry Kane is weighing up a summer move to Barcelona. Munich are also monitoring David and Openda, despite the pair being total flops in a Juve jersey. While former Poland international Milik has suffered a spate of injuries, although could be gradually coaxed back by Spalletti.
The new boss needs to avoid following Tudor’s failed tactics of only having one target man, although he surprisingly followed that tactical formation against Cremonese. It ended up being a the proverbial game of two halves, and the Bianconeri came close to conceding a stoppage time equalizer last Saturday.
There appears to be a four-club race to commit Vlahovic in early 2026 between Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich and of course Juventus.
While Spalletti remains focused on getting the best out of Vlahovic, who is frequently man-marked out of games when the sole striker.
Blessing and a curse for Juventus
Yet it will be a double-edged sword if the 25-year-old finds his scoring boots. Clubs will battle for him, meaning that Juventus could get a windfall as well as trim their salary bill.
Although teams may be tempted to wait until the winter transfer window is over and get Vlahovic to sign a pre-contract agreement.
On the other hand, if he is grabbing goals then it makes a stronger case to negotiate a better deal than the current one that Juve have tabled.
Both Bayern Munich and Barcelona are likely to wait to see if Kane fancies a shot at La Liga, while Atletico will be able to dangle the carrot of including Norway international striker Alexander Sorloth as a part of a deal for Vlahovic.
Barcelona have long considered him to be the natural heir to striker Robert Lewandowski, who will leave the Catalan club in the summer.
Yet Atletico appear to be the most eager of clubs interested in Vlahovic, who was heavily linked with Villarreal during the last transfer window, and could scupper rivals for his signature in January.
Sorloth swap for Vlahovic
The club are currently working on a strategy with the part exchange of Sorloth, which should suit the fallen Italian giants as they would at least get something in return for losing star striker Vlahovic.
Juventus are not totally resigned to the potential departure of their annual top scorer, but talks stalled months ago with Vlahovic’s representatives. His agents tried to no avail to attract a Premier League side to sign their client during the summer, while both AC Milan and Inter Milan showed interest to bag him but on a vastly reduced salary.
Sorloth, who failed miserably in the Premier League at Crystal Palace and struggled in the Bundesliga with RB Leipzig, has been formidable in La Liga. He enjoyed such a prolific season at Villarreal that Atletico bagged him for €32 million (US$36.9m), and was a big hit in his maiden season with the Spanish giants last term.
His powerful presence and prowess for scoring should convince Juve that the 29-year-old is an instant replacement for Vlahovic, and his confidence is sky-high as Norway are soaring.
Much depends on how Spalletti gets the best out of goalscorer Vlahovic, who is always industrious with a physical prowess that unnerves defenders.