The idea had been in the air for weeks. For it to take shape, Juventus only had to see how the player’s body responded to his first sessions back with the group after injury. Once the medical staff gave the go-ahead, including his call-up for Sunday’s big match against Napoli at the Allianz, the club contacted UEFA straight away to amend its List A.
Captain Manuel Locatelli is out and Jeff Ekhator is in. With that, Tuttosport says, the attack can breathe. The headline adds that there is no rejection of Zhegrova, who has played no part in the decision on merit.
What the UEFA Regulations Say
Since 2025, UEFA’s rules have allowed clubs to invoke Article 31.14 and change their registered list mid-competition, once only and before the February window. The conditions are strict:
- The change must be made by matchday six of the league phase.
- The outfield player being replaced must have an illness or injury of long duration, at least 60 days.
- His replacement must meet the same registration criteria.
That last condition is the one that settled the Zhegrova question. It means Juventus could replace Locatelli only with a player trained in the same federation, in this case the Italian one. This is what Giovanni Carnevali spelled out at the shareholders’ meeting at the Allianz Stadium on Tuesday: Locatelli is Italian-trained and can only be replaced by an Italian-trained player, so Ekhator qualifies and Zhegrova does not.
What It Means for the Attack
The practical effect is an additional striker for the European matches. Ekhator had been missing from the list because he was injured when the squad lists were submitted at the start of the season. After two muscle injuries and ten matches missed, he now becomes registered for the Europa League at a point when Yıldız, Conceição and González are all unavailable and Kolo Muani and Woltemade have delivered mixed returns.
Zhegrova’s situation is separate. He was never on the original list, and the regulations simply do not let the club use the Locatelli vacancy for him. It is a technical limitation, not a footballing one, and comes at a time when his recent performances had made him a candidate to start. The page links to a further section on the possible choices Spalletti faces at AZ Alkmaar.
