Midfielder Koopmeiners, signed by Motta from Atalanta for €54.7m (US$59m) last August, posted on Instagram: “Lots of positives to take from this week”
This optimistic message could have referred to the former Bologna boss having been given the boot by the Turin giants. Or it may have been about the Dutch defeat to Spain on penalties, following a 5-5 aggregate draw, in their Nations League quarter-final clash.
With the three-year Project Motta having come to a sudden halt after just nine months, only the Juventus trio of defender Gleison Bremer, Koopmeiners and winger Samuel Mbangula have so far posted anything on social media platforms.
Instagram messages for Motta
Brazilian Bremer posted: “Mister, thank you so much for everything. I can never thank you enough for trusting me since day one. You always wanted the best from us and you have shown that. I wish you all the best for the future!!"
Belgian Mbangula “Mister, thank you so much for everything. I can never thank you enough for trusting me since day one. You always wanted the best from us and you have shown that. I wish you all the best for the future!!”
Koopmeiners was snapped up by Atalanta after scoring 15 goals during the 2020/21 campaign for Ajax, scooping the Eredivisie's Player of the Season accolade. Juve came calling for the Atalanta ace, who in three seasons scored 29 goals from his 129 games.
Koopmeiners was a Motta favorite
He has yet to hit the same heady heights for Juventus, yet was one of Motta’s regular starters for Serie A action.
Although Motta liked to keep squad members on their toes by regularly tweaking the starting line-up and swapping captaincy, Koopmeiners was not subjected to these mind games.
Igor Tudor is back at Juventus, the Biancorner’s former defender and assistant manager to Andrea Pirlo, and will be hoping that it’s third time lucky. The Split-born 46-year-old is Juve’s interim head coach.
There's now a clean slate with Tudor in charge, albeit for only nine Serie A matches and a shot at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup finals.
If Tudor restores the club’s winning mentality, should he or the Juventus board decide to not trigger the contract for the Serie A 2025/26 season then expect Bianconeri players to praise Tudor on social media channels.