Fabrizio Ravanelli was in characteristically unfiltered form on Tuesday evening, returning as a special guest on Tuttosport’s Aperimercato YouTube show for what became one of the most entertaining and substantive assessments of Juventus’s summer from a man who knows the club as well as almost anyone alive. Alongside hosts Cristiano Corbo and Paolo Pirisi, Penna Bianca covered everything from Kolo Muani to Alajbegovic, Theo Hernández to the goalkeeper debate — and he spared no one.
On Kolo Muani and Alajbegovic: “Sign Players Who Want the Club”
Ravanelli opened with a statement of principle that framed everything that followed. “These are two players of quality who both strongly wanted Juventus — and that is an important starting point. We need to go back to signing players who genuinely want to be here, not just those looking at the contract. When you join a club you actually want, you start from a higher psychological level. I believe that, step by step, Juventus can build a team that is genuinely enjoyable to watch. They are working very well.”
On Kolo Muani specifically: “We saw him at Juventus before — he showed great quality, pace, technique. People in France have attributed the failure to win the 2022 World Cup to him because he missed a goal in front of Dibu Martínez, and in a way that makes me feel for him — everyone can miss a goal. I am convinced he will be important for Juventus. And if a proper centre-forward also arrives, the bianconeri would have an attack of real substance alongside Yıldız and Conceição.”
And on a possible double act with Pellegrino: “Kolo Muani and Pellegrino are two attackers who could have an excellent season. Pellegrino is a penalty-box player, strong in the air, combative. He knows how to be a nuisance to defenders. Those two together would give Juventus an attack that is balanced, quality, and coherent.”
“Alajbegovic — a Signing Straight from the Boniperti Era”
The Alajbegovic deal prompted Ravanelli’s most emotional endorsement of the entire show. “It takes me back to the old Juventus — the signings Boniperti used to make when he brought me, Del Piero, Di Livio, Torricelli. This is an important acquisition who I believe will shape the future of this club. He showed quality, pace — he can play in Spalletti’s 4-2-3-1 but also in a 4-3-3. In the number ten zone he can play both flanks or behind the striker. And he scores: 13 goals and 4 assists last season. For me, this is a superb signing. Juventus have done something nobody expected — and I think it has genuinely excited the whole fanbase.”
The Defence He Wants to See — and Why Theo Hernández Is an Immediate Yes
Ravanelli’s vision for the ideal Juventus backline was vivid and specific. “If we manage to close Lucumí, which is the defender I am expecting — imagine a strong goalkeeper behind a Lucumí-Bremer pairing at centre-back, Kalulu on the right, and maybe Hernández on the left. At that point Juventus start causing problems again.”
On Theo Hernández, he was characteristically emphatic: “With the desire for revenge he has against Milan, I would sign him immediately. At Spalletti’s club I am convinced he would give us a huge amount. You can feel his hunger.”
On Midfield: “We Are Missing Leadership — I Do Not See a Vidal, a Marchisio, a Pogba”
The most pointed passage of the evening concerned a position that has received less attention than the attacking and defensive recruitment: central midfield. “What concerns me slightly is the absence of a really important central midfielder among Juventus’s targets. We have good players but there is no leadership in the middle of the pitch. The group elects its own leaders through performance and personality — and I do not see a Vidal, a Marchisio, a Pogba, a Paulo Sousa, a Deschamps, a Conte in this Juventus midfield.” When asked who he would add: “If I had to go for someone experienced, with the right profile and personality, I would invest some money in Kessié. He knows Italian football, has physicality and personality. I do not know what kind of shape he is in, but he had a good World Cup and I am sure he could still have a say here.”
On the Goalkeeper: “If Not Dibu, Give Me Trubin — of Those Available, Suzuki”
Ravanelli was asked to choose between the goalkeeper options. His hierarchy was clear: “Of the names circulating, the one I like most, honestly, is Suzuki. But if Dibu Martínez does not come, I would go for the Benfica goalkeeper, Trubin. I like him enormously — a player who could have a great future at Juventus. I would bring him home if there is any possibility. Of the names actually in the frame, though, I prefer Suzuki.”
“Kolo Muani Has Shown He Is More Juventus Than Vlahović”
The evening’s sharpest line — the one that will generate the most debate — arrived in the rapid-fire closing exchanges. “Is Juventus a top-four side with Kolo Muani? Absolutely yes. And yes — the Frenchman has shown he is more Juventus than Vlahović.”
It is a remark that distils the entire summer’s narrative into seven words. After months of uncertainty, deliberation, and a long, exhausting pursuit, Juventus have their striker. For Ravanelli — a man who understands better than most what it means to wear the shirt — that is all the confirmation anyone needs.
