Fratini, named as the best talent scout in Italy for 2023, explained to sports website TuttoJuve that he is convinced that Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini will return to the Bianconeri for a third time to take over the hot seat.
As a midfielder Gasperini joined Juventus youth system aged nine, was in the U20 (the Primavera) squad that included the legendary Paolo Rossi. He turned out for the senior side in the Coppa Italia, but as he failed to play any Serie A games was sold to Palermo in 1978.
He returned to the Turin titans 16 years after leaving, to become coach of the Juventus U14 side (the Giovanissimi). Gasperini moved through the youth system to take the reins of the U17s (the Allievi) and the Primavera before joining Crotone to tackle Serie C in 2003.
The 67-year-old has been in charge at four Italian clubs during his successful coaching career, and transformed Atalanta since arriving in June 2016.
Gasperini made a poor start in his first five games at Atalanta, but he managed to steer the side to a top four finish as Serie A’s surprise package.
He has won plaudits for his eye-catching style of play that garnered positive results. Gasperini scooped the Serie A Coach of the Year accolades for both the 2018/19 and 2019/20 campaigns, as well guiding Atalanta to Europa League glory last term.
Gasperini has constantly indicated this season that he could leave the team in Bergamo at the end of the campaign, and has long-term admirers at leading Serie A sides. March's thumping 4-0 success over Juventus in Turin reiterated his value to the Juve hierarchy.
Clubs chasing a new face
AC Milan are considering a change of manager as Sergio Conceicao has struggled since taking over last December, AS Roma’s Claudio Ranieri will move from head coach to an executive for next season and Juventus are scouring round for suitable candidates to lead the team next term.
Tudor, back at Juve for a third time, has collected seven points from his first three Serie A matches. He has six more games to secure a top four finish and Champions League soccer, which seems highly viable as the Bianconeri have a pretty simplistic run-in and rivals for the top continental competition will face one another.
The agreement between Tudor and the club hierarchy is that finishing in the top four will trigger talks about a one-year contract as head coach.
Yet Fratini is adamant that Tudor won’t be offered the job. He explained: “Tudor won’t be in charge next season. I wouldn’t be surprised if they asked him to stay alongside the new coach, who I confirm is Gian Piero Gasperini.
“He [Gasperini] has already communicated his desire to leave and he did so in a very correct manner, after all Atalanta is also his creation.
Coach's return journey
Tudor was a midfielder at Juve and returned to the club as assistant to head coach Andrea Pirlo for the 2020/21 season. The pair won the Coppa Italia and Supercoppa Italiana plus finished fourth in Serie A, yet the duo were given the boot.
It was therefore a bit of a shock to see Tudor installed at the end of March for the last nine games. He has made it clear that he would never be an assistant manager again, which rules out the Croatian working with Gasperini.
Juve sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli is under pressure after the three-year Project Motta went pear-shaped, including giving Thiago Motta control of transfers ins and outs.
Safety measure Tudor
Tudor was deemed a safe pair of hands to steady the sinking ship and in a recent press conference revealed: “Every coach lives one day at a time. When a coach arrives, he can be fired even if he’s got a five-year contract all signed.
“You can’t plan too far ahead, you build the future today. You take lessons from the past, but thinking about the future too much creates nothing except anxiety.”
Giuntoli is fully focused on Juve’s future, aware that he must make the correct appointment for the next head coach or face the potential of being shown the exit door himself.
With Giuntoli in a precarious position, he is exploring a possible return of chief scout Matteo Tognozzi who was instrumental in signing attacking duo Dusan Vlahovic and Yildiz.
Managers in the mix
Italy’s best supported team surely warrants a big name manager rather than journeyman Tudor, whose only silverware as a head coach was lifting the 2012/13 Croatian Cup with Hajduk Split, or someone like Gasperini who has been consistently impressive at Atalanta and turned them in serious Scudetto contenders.
Among the more famous names are Juve fan favorite Antonio Conte, who could abandon highflying Napoli to return to Turin. Jose Mourninho’s deal with Turkish giants Fenerbahce ends in June 2026 but the former Inter Milan boss could be lured back to the Italian top tier.
Plus there are free agents such as Juventus icon Zinedine Zidane who impressed as Real Madrid manager and ex-Barcelona head coach Xavi.
Other head coaches with less kudos who could be in the mix to try and lead the Bianconeri back to their glory days include Fulham’s Marco Silva, Olympique de Marseille’s Roberto De Zerbi and Saudi Pro League-based Stefano Pioli.