With Luciano Spalletti now on the verge of signing a new deal with Juventus, one key issue remains open at Continassa: the choice of the next first-choice goalkeeper. While there is full alignment between coach and club on the broader sporting project, Spalletti and chief executive Damien Comolli currently have different views on which profile to target for such a crucial position in the team’s future.
Comolli’s Pick: Who Is Guillaume Restes?
Tuttosport report that Comolli has a very clear preference for the role. His dream signing is Guillaume Restes, the 21-year-old Toulouse goalkeeper widely regarded in France as a top-level prospect and a potential generational talent. Born in 2005, he has been with the club in purple since the age of six and made his Ligue 1 debut on 13 August 2023, just after turning eighteen, quickly establishing himself as a starter.
Restes has already reached 100 appearances for the first team, a remarkable tally at his age and a key reason why Toulouse value him at around 20 million euros. That fee would represent a significant slice of Juventus’ summer budget, money that Spalletti would ideally like to invest in other areas of the pitch as well, especially if the team qualifies for the Champions League and needs strengthening in multiple departments.
Spalletti’s View: Experience over a Gamble
Spalletti, however, envisages a different structure for the goalkeeping department. The coach would happily keep Michele Di Gregorio, but only if he is paired with a team-mate who is already fully ready and experienced, particularly in view of a possible departure for Mattia Perin. In other words, Spalletti is not keen on turning the role over to what he sees as a long-term bet.
On his shortlist are names such as David De Gea and Guglielmo Vicario, as well as Emiliano “Dibu” Martinez, who has recently been offered to Juventus. A move for the Argentine would only be considered if his salary demands are not excessive, while Vicario would be evaluated only in the case of a genuine low-cost opportunity. There is no intention on Spalletti’s side to push the club into an expensive gamble in goal.
Restes the Only “Folly” Comolli Would Make
Comolli, for his part, would be willing to go the extra mile financially only for Restes, whom he views as the ideal signing for a project built around young players with huge upside and strong resale potential in the future. This is also why other names, such as Marco Carnesecchi and Alisson Becker – the latter having just renewed his contract with Liverpool – are currently filed under “almost impossible dreams”, given the transfer fees and wages involved.
In the end, Juventus face a strategic fork in the road: follow Spalletti’s more cautious and immediately functional path, centred on an established, experienced goalkeeper, or embrace Comolli’s long-term vision by investing heavily in a talent like Guillaume Restes. The final decision will help define not only the club’s next number one, but also the identity of the Juventus project for years to come.
