The situation at Juventus has become extremely delicate following their stinging defeat against Atalanta. The loss has left significant repercussions, especially on the figure of Thiago Motta, whose position as manager is under increasing threat with the possibility of dismissal if the team fails in their next match against Fiorentina.
However, as highlighted by Tuttosport, it’s not just the Italian-Brazilian coach who has come under scrutiny. The newspaper reports that in a project that is beginning to falter compared to the ambitions, thoughts, and dreams of the summer, the management has also come under fire.
Tuttosport emphasizes that doubts have arisen about the Bianconeri leadership. Cristiano Giuntoli, the club’s sporting director, recently held an important speech to the entire squad in an attempt to reunite all the players after the debacle suffered against Atalanta at the Stadium. There’s a need to heal a situation that appears truly complex, especially if Motta’s team fails to achieve the fundamental objective – from both a sporting and economic standpoint – of securing 4th place, which is crucial for qualifying for next season’s Champions League.
Director Giuntoli (always engaged in managing the company’s costs to avoid forcing new capital increases) and CEO Scanavino have accepted a challenging project to rehabilitate the club, focusing on rejuvenating the squad and reducing the wage bill. These two objectives are gradually maturing through various maneuvers – including sales and cutting significant salaries – with the aim of creating the greatest possible value. However, the technical progress is not keeping pace with the financial one.
Indeed, Tuttosport writes, the combination of a results crisis and evaluations of formulas regarding some market operations (the costs of the January market raised some perplexities – 15 million in immediate outflows, with only the purchases of Kelly and Costa, while Kolo Muani and Veiga arrived on loan, against 10 million in income from sales) have begun to raise some doubts. If Francisco Conceicao and Randal Kolo Muani were also to be purchased, the amount spent in these months would approach 400 million euros. But the results, up to this point (given the early elimination in the Champions League against PSV during the playoff round and the penalty shootout loss in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals against Empoli), are slow in coming, even though from an economic point of view, Giuntoli has achieved a positive half-year report.
Considerable doubts have thus arisen in the Juventus world, with the risk of a stalemate in future operations between the transfer market and contract renewals. The level of attention is extremely high, also as a consequence of the risk of a capital increase. Giuntoli will have the unprecedented June transfer window available to try to make some important sales and to convince that the project has solid foundations. Now everything will depend on achieving fourth place: if this objective is not reached, everyone will end up under examination.
