The transfer window closed less than a month ago — and already the performance of the players Juventus dispatched in different directions for different reasons is telling a story with considerable financial and sporting consequences. The Gazzetta’s full audit, conducted across Serie A, Serie B, La Liga, the Premier League, the Turkish Super Lig, and the Dutch second division, reveals a mixed but broadly encouraging picture — and identifies two young loanees who have exceeded every expectation.
The Senior Loans — Flourishing After Turin
Jonathan David at Atletico Madrid has delivered the most cinematically pointed form of the summer’s loans. Three goals and an assist in his last three Liga matches, including the decisive goal in the derby victory over Real Madrid — the same player who managed eight goals in 46 Juventus appearances is suddenly scoring freely under Simeone. David himself has acknowledged the context with characteristic directness: “Since I arrived you told me clearly that the Juventus attacker is the most criticised player in Italy. Last season was very difficult — I struggled to adapt. Playing at a club like Juventus is complicated. There is no time to adapt.” Gazzetta also captures the Openda reference to Vlahović keeping the ball for himself as the key to understanding why the Belgian never found his rhythm in Turin.
Lois Openda at Lyon has opened with two goals, an assist, and — as covered earlier in this session — some pointed but measured observations about his Juventus experience. The Belgian cost the club approximately €42.3 million in total — a significant investment that Carnevali and Massara need to rehabilitate through a strong loan season before any sale can generate meaningful capital.
Vasilije Adžić at Sassuolo has three goals and an assist in five appearances — including the decisive 94th-minute winner against Juventus itself on 13 September. A series of consecutive scoring matches has established him as one of Aquilani’s most important players, starting as a mezzala in the 4-3-3 with licence to advance into the trequartista zone.
The Less Fortunate Loans — Minimal Minutes So Far
Three players have struggled to find any meaningful involvement in the early weeks of their respective loans. Fabio Miretti at Besiktas has managed just 66 minutes across the Turkish league and Europa League combined — an inauspicious start for a midfielder who arrived to reunite with Italiano and play alongside Vlahović. Michele Di Gregorio at Bournemouth has made just one competitive appearance — as a starter in the Carabao Cup — despite the purchase option of €15 million and the €1.5 million penalty clause that gives both clubs every incentive to make the arrangement work. Joao Mario at Fiorentina has remained permanently on the bench in Serie A under new manager Thiago Motta’s replacement Eusebio Di Francesco — a frustrating start to what was supposed to be a straightforward permanent transfer.
The Hidden Gems — Licina and Pugno
The two names that generate most excitement from the younger generation of loanees have been covered elsewhere in this session for Licina — two goals and an assist in four Cremonese appearances, the Gianluca Vialli Award for best young talent in Serie B, and a viral first touch that conquered Italian social media. The name that surprises most, however, is Diego Pugno: a young Juventus centre-forward loaned with a right of purchase to Ajax’s reserve team, where he has already exceeded every expectation with goals and assists that are generating genuine attention from the club’s first-team coaches. The Gazzetta identifies him as the loan that is “probably surpassing every expectation.”
Lower down the pyramid, Jonas Rouhi has become an immovable starter for Carrarese in Serie C with a goal contribution already, whilst Brando Moruzzi has also made his mark at Avellino. The loan portfolio is larger, more diverse, and more productive than the casual observer of the senior team alone would suspect. The hidden treasure is real — and Carnevali is watching all of it, match by match, ready to decide what to do with each piece when the time comes.
