Juventus sporting director Marco Ottolini spoke to DAZN about several key topics — from Kenan Yildiz’s contract renewal and the club’s transfer strategies to the future of coach Luciano Spalletti.
A return to Juventus
“It’s a strong emotion,” Ottolini began. “I’d already spent four wonderful years here at Juve. Then I had the fortune of growing as an executive and learning from top-level examples. This is a club that helps you develop in every possible way simply by living it day-by-day. Having the opportunity to return has been a great source of pride and happiness for me. I’m very pleased to start working here again.”
Settling back in
“The approach? Challenging but very positive,” he explained. “We have a very well-balanced team built on professionalism, respect, and competence. These first few weeks have been intense but extremely positive.”
Yildiz renewal
Ottolini had high praise for the young Turkish forward after his recent contract extension. “We’re very happy. I was here when he arrived, I’ve seen him grow. Reaching this type of renewal is a great credit to the player and his work. As a club, we’re absolutely delighted to continue with him — it shows the ownership’s intent and what we want to achieve as a team. We want to keep our best players. Yildiz is a world-class talent, and the fact that he’s continuing with Juventus gives us great confidence and satisfaction.”
The arrivals of Boga and Holm
“There was a desire to introduce different characteristics into the squad, and we succeeded,” Ottolini said. “Holm gives us more physicality, which was also something the coach had asked for. Boga is an experienced player who knows Serie A and has the ability to change matches. They can both give us new tactical solutions and are players who suit our needs.”
The Kolo Muani pursuit
Ottolini also confirmed Juventus’ interest in French striker Randal Kolo Muani. “The January transfer window is very particular — that goes for everyone. The right circumstances didn’t align. There was interest in Kolo Muani and a few talks took place, but it couldn’t be finalised for various reasons.”
Summer planning
“The summer transfer market will be completely different,” he assured. “It will involve a general squad planning process, not just focused on the striker role. We’re very happy with the players we have. There are still several months and many important matches ahead. Afterwards, we’ll make the necessary evaluations.”
On McKennie’s renewal
“We’re in discussions about that,” Ottolini confirmed succinctly.
Confidence in Spalletti
Finally, the Juventus sporting director praised Luciano Spalletti for the progress made under his leadership. “We’re extremely happy with him. The team’s improvement is clear for everyone to see. We’re very satisfied with the work he and his staff are doing, and we’re absolutely calm about the situation. We have important matches ahead, then we’ll sit down with him and move forward.”
As for his personal relationship with the coach, Ottolini was full of admiration. “It’s very good. He’s someone I try to learn from constantly. He has such experience and ability that anyone who talks to him is bound to learn something. Whenever he speaks about football, I try to absorb as much as possible.”
