Kenan Yildiz was given a specific role to play when Thiago Motta was at the helm. He was rarely allowed the freedom to roam in the same manner that he has experienced over the past three games under interim boss Igor Tudor.
The failure of Project Motta was down to a plethora of factors. These included the lack of hunger to win matches, and highly talented individuals kept on a stringent leash.
German-born Yildiz was a bit-part player under Max Allegri for his 2023-24 campaign. He only started 10 matches in all competitions, yet banged in four goals from 32 appearances.
The 19-year-old went up a notch as he appeared to be a favorite for Motta at the start of the season, becoming one of the first names on the team-sheet yet only scored four Serie A goals in 28 outings.
Yildiz became Juve’s youngest-ever Champions League scorer in September (19 years, four months and 13 days), to break the long-standing record set by the legendary no10 Alessandro Del Piero (20 years, four months and 10 days).
Yildiz added another club record this term, becoming the youngster scorer in the Derby della Mole thanks to his diving header in the 2-0 home win over Torino last November.
Super agent heightens hype
His success triggered super agent Jorges Mendes to get on the bandwagon following a restaurant meeting with Yildiz’s parents in Turin after Christmas. He started touting the Turkey international as the next soccer superstar, with a matching high price tag of €90 million (US$102.15m).
Despite not quite being the polished article, as he was experiencing an indifferent season under Motta, the hype from Mendes suddenly earned plenty of press coverage in England and Italy. Premier League clubs were reportedly showing interest in Yildiz rather than his team Dusan Vlahovic.
Serbia striker Vlahovic had just fallen out of favor under Motta, who brought in Paris Saint-Germain’s exiled forward Kolo Muani during the January transfer window. Yildiz began failing to impress when not working in tandem with Vlahovic.
Former Juventus defender and ex-assistant coach Igor Tudor returned to the club on a short-term deal, after Motta got the boot in late March. The Croatian tactician has transformed not only the club’s fortunes, but is constantly pushing Yildiz to better himself.
Tudor has already brought out the best of the tenacious teenager, who excels on the left flank for Turkey, in a short space of time. His improved displays have earned the praise of former Italy international Gianfranco Zola.
Solid start for Tudor
The first of nine Serie A games for Tudor was the visit of mid-table Genoa. With Juventus having flopped to hefty defeats by Atalanta and Fiorentina in their previous two outings, a draw would have been enough to please the pundits and club supporters.
Tudor’s favorite Serie A striker Vlahovic set up Yildiz to slot home what proved to be the only goal of the tussle on 25 minutes. The result boosted confidence within the Juve camp, and Yildiz was back in business.
Yildiz failed to find the back of the net in Tudor’s second game, which finished in a 1-1 stalemate at the Stadio Olimpico. Skipper Manuel Locatelli broke the deadlock in the first-half, with AS Roma’s Eldor Shomurodov equalising shortly after the turnaround.
Vlahovic, Juve’s top scorer this campaign, was the goal provider for both Teun Koopmeiners and Yildiz in their 2-1 triumph over relegation-threatened Lecce for Tudor’s latest match.
New lease of life
Yildiz has been unleashed by Tudor with much more freedom to roam than he has ever experienced in a Juve jersey. He is taking corners with aplomb, with goals from set pieces a problem at the club this season that Tudor is trying to fix.
The youngster’s ability to create pockets of space courtesy of his dribbling skills and pinpoint passes, as well as powerful shots and array of silky skills, have garnered the attention of top Premier League clubs including Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool.
Yildiz is a humble person, far from being arrogant or flashy, who appreciates the fact that Juventus believed in his talents by luring him from Bayern Munich in 2022.
Having worked his way up through both the Primavera and Juventus Next Gen teams, he now finds Tudor a tough taskmaster who is putting him to the sword. Tudor has been publicly positive about Yildiz, although is not over enthusiastic in order to keep the precocious talent grounded.
Premier League no-go
Juventus recently issued a hands off message to interested clubs about Yildiz, who the club perceive could have the same sort of impact that Del Piero experienced at the Bianconeri.
Should Tudor net a top four finish in Serie A, which guarantees Champions League soccer next season, then it will trigger talks to tackle the 2025/26 term as permanent manager.
Yildiz has contributed 50% of the goals under Tudor’s trio of games, and if Vlahovic stays as expected, then the dynamic duo could prove a force to be reckoned with for the next campaign.
The club will not relinquish striker Samuel Mbangula, having already turned down an audacious bid from West Ham United this year, plus are considering bringing in more firepower.
Interest in attacking trio
Manchester United misfits Antony and Rasmus Hojlund as well as Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman are forwards who are on Juve’s radar. While Napoli outcast Victor Osimhen had reasons for not wanting to sign for the Bianconeri.
There will be plenty of money for Juventus by tackling the revamped FIFA Club World Cup finals this summer.
If Tudor can secure a Champions League berth, which seems highly attainable given their current form and final six Serie A fixtures, there will be big bucks from this highly-lucrative competition.
Holding onto ambitious Yildiz as a future shining star could kick-start another highly successful era for Juve. Already thriving under Tudor, by the end of the Club World Cup finals he could well be elevated to future soccer stardom as predicted by Mendes.