Igor Tudor clearly stated that Teun Koopmeiners would be a starter at Genoa, and that he valued Nicolas Gonzalez. Yet neither of his these rang true.
He said prior to the 1-0 victory over Genoa, snatched by Dusan Vlahovic's winner, which lifted the Bianconeri to joint top of Serie A with defending champions Napoli: "Koopmeiners will be a starter, there's no doubt about that. He’s on the right track.
He said: "Nico Gonzalez is a player I have always admired, he is a starter for the Argentine national team, he can play on both the wing and up front, and I am delighted to have him with us."
Tudor, who was promoted from interim boss to the permanent role as the club's second choice part;y because they are cash-strapped this summer, may have been totally honest with his words.
Or he may have been a puppet for the club's hierarchy, despite World Cup winner Gonzalez relentlessly being linked with Atletico Madrid.
Atletico head coach Diego Simeone has made a poor start in La Liga, and bringing in a talent of Gonzalez's stature was a no-brainer today on a season-long loan with an option to buy.
Juventus could make profit on World Cup winner
The 27-year-old has cost Atletico for an initial loan fee of €1 million (US$1.2m) with an option to make the move permanent for an additional fee of €32m (US$37.5m).
He had arrived at Juventus last summer from Fiorentina, linking up with his former team-mate Vlahovic in Turin, on a whopping €8m (US$9.4m) loan before being purchased for €28.1m (US$32.8m) on 1 July.
Although he was highly regarded by former head coach Thiago Motta, once the ex-Bologna boss was replaced by Tudor the 27-year-old slipped down the pecking order.
At the FIFA Club World Cup he was an unused substitute for the opening match against Al-Ain FC, made a brief appearance against Wydad AC but played the entire 90 minutes for the mauling by Manchester City.
Gonzalez played out of position at Club World Cup
As Juventus looked desperately lightweight upfront against Real Madrid in the last 16, Tudor threw him on for the final half-hour but as a wing-back.
It became obvious that he was not part of Tudor’s plans to tackle the Italian top tier and Champions League, so Gonzalez was seeking a club to get minutes under his belt in order to be selected by Argentina boss Lionel Scaloni to tackle the 2026 World Cup finals.
Despite the ongoing interest from Atletico in Gonzalez, Tudor played down the speculation in his pre-match conference. Whether he was pressurized into his positive comments about the versatile winger, maybe in a bid to up the asking price from the Spanish giants, remains uncertain.
Juve's double swoop on transfer deadline day
Gonzalez's expected departure, despite Tudor's comments, triggered Juventus to bolster their midfield with the signing of Edon Zhegrova, with Belgium striker Lois Openda also joining after the club missed out on Kolo Muani who was landed by Tottenham Hotspur.
As for Koopmeiners, Tudor picked Joao Mario to fill in for suspended Andrea Cambiasco but that tweak proved unsuccessful. The Juve manager made a triple substitution on 62 minutes, with Koopmeiners unleashed with little effect and lackluster Mario withdrawn.
Juventus fans may start to take Tudor's words with a pinch of salt after his double misdirection, whether it was deliberate by him or he was leaned on by the club's board.