Giovanni Carnevali was in his most candid and pointed form on Thursday evening, speaking at La Stampa’s annual summer event in Courmayeur. Over the course of a wide-ranging interview, the Juventus chief executive addressed the Kolo Muani deal, Alajbegovic’s imminent arrival, the legacy of the previous administration, Vlahović’s departure, the Italian national team’s institutional crisis, and FIFA’s direction under Gianni Infantino. He held nothing back.
On Kolo Muani: “We Are in the Final Phase — But Nothing Is Signed Yet”
Carnevali opened with an update on the two headline deals of the week. “We are in the process of finalising Kolo Muani and working to land Alajbegovic — we are thinking about the Juventus of today and the Juventus of the future. When I arrived at the club I was reading the newspapers and thought the Kolo Muani deal was already done — but it was not. There had been difficulties, and a need to repair the relationship with PSG after some communication problems, resolving the issues that had been left by the previous management. We are now in the concluding phase — but until something is signed you never know, because sometimes extraordinary things happen.”
The implicit verdict on Damien Comolli’s handling of the PSG relationship could not be more pointed: an entire summer of negotiations rendered necessary, in Carnevali’s telling, by the damage done to inter-club relations by his predecessor.
On Alajbegovic: “We Are a Little Further Behind — but He Wants to Come to Us”
On the Bosnian teenager, Carnevali was measured and realistic. “Alajbegovic? We are a little further behind than with Kolo Muani, but we are working on it. We are looking for young players with great prospects — there are some very important clubs after him, but the player has a desire to come to us and that is important. It is a significant investment, but Juventus must try to think about the future as well as the present.”
On Vlahović: “I Don’t Chase Anyone — I Was Available to Talk but Never Had a Meeting”
The sharpest passage of the entire interview concerned the departed Serbian striker. Carnevali’s words were precise, cool, and unmistakably final. “Vlahović? I never met him. I know that Juventus had made a proposal that was not accepted. I am not someone who chases after players — especially when significant proposals have already been made. I was always available to speak with his entourage but never had any meetings.”
It is a statement that closes the Vlahović chapter with a dignity and directness that the months of public speculation never quite managed to deliver. The new Juventus does not beg. If the answer is no, the answer is no — and the next opportunity is found elsewhere.
On the Italian National Team Crisis: “Malagò Could Have Handled It Better”
Carnevali was equally candid on the chaos surrounding the Italian Football Federation following the Azzurri’s failure at the World Cup. “Malagò? In my opinion he could have handled it better. I think he is a great president and a great figure in sport. In the end he went with his first choice — Mancini is an excellent manager, but I was not happy with the way he behaved towards our national team when he left. What we asked for was a federation structured like a football club — with a sporting director and a technical director. You need to start from the foundations, from young players and educators, with a genuine sporting project. I liked what Maldini and Leonardo were proposing. The important thing is not to bring in friends but capable people. I also feel for Pirlo — he was attacked very strongly for choices that may indeed have been wrong, but it would have been right to think about that before making the appointment.”
On FIFA and Infantino: “55 Federations Are Against Him — I Like Clean Things”
On the growing divisions within world football, Carnevali spoke with his characteristic directness. “55 federations are opposed to the direction Infantino is taking FIFA. What he is doing, everyone can see — it is a direction very different from a few years ago. I like things to be clean, and FIFA is not upholding the values I believe in when it comes to sport. The fact that 55 federations already disagree is an important step. There will be a possibility of stopping them.”
On Spalletti: “A Special Person — You Learn from Him Every Day”
The interview closed on a warmer note. “Spalletti is a special person — a profound man. You learn many things from him. It is wonderful to engage with him. And above all he is an excellent manager, and I am very happy to be working alongside him.” On the goalkeeper question, Carnevali was deliberately brief: “No news for the moment — we are concentrated on concluding Kolo Muani and Alajbegovic first. We are finalising the contractual details with both of them in these hours and hope to complete everything as quickly as possible so they can join the squad and be made available to Spalletti.”
It was, in its totality, the most revealing public performance of Carnevali’s brief tenure at Juventus so far. Blunt about the past, ambitious about the future, and entirely comfortable in his own skin at one of European football’s most demanding clubs. The Sassuolo method, applied at scale — and beginning, at last, to produce the results everyone inside the Continassa has been working towards since June.
