Luciano Spalletti addressed the media on Friday afternoon ahead of Saturday’s home fixture against Parma — Juventus’s first game at the Allianz Stadium of the new season, kicking off at 20:45. The press conference was one of the most wide-ranging of his tenure, covering injury updates, the transfer market, the Kolo Muani debate, the Kessié pursuit, and — most unexpectedly — a warm endorsement of Nico González’s continued presence in the squad.
Injury News: McKennie Out, Thuram Precarious
The unavailable list for the Parma match has a new addition. “Yıldız and McKennie are not available — Weston has a muscular fatigue. Thuram has a situation that gives him a little discomfort, but we will evaluate him tomorrow morning.” Three of the squad’s most important midfield contributors simultaneously sidelined or uncertain is the kind of challenge that tests the depth of any squad — and makes the case for Kessié’s arrival all the more urgent.
“Yıldız’s Injury Hurts — It’s a Simple Procedure but Requires a Specific Timeline”
On the emotional dimension of losing his most important creative player at the start of the season: “The club has already signed who can replace him — Alajbegovic is used to playing in that position. The directors were smart and decided to make this investment for his age and his qualities. We have taken a couple of young players who can offer possibilities in the future, like him and Ekhator. We also have Nico González who processes every instruction and executes every task. We have alternatives — but we want Yıldız. His injury hurts. We are sorry for the quality of the footballer and the perfection of the man and the little champion. It is a simple operation but requires a specific timeline.”
Lucumí: Could Start Against Parma — “Settling In Perfectly, Strong Player”
On his new Colombian centre-back: “Could he start? It could happen. The settling-in process is going extremely well. He is a strong player, but Kelly did very well in the last match — so for now there is not all that urgency. But I will evaluate it carefully. I am happy with what Lucumí is giving us. Sometimes you see them from the outside and you can miss something — but all the qualities we had identified are there, plus a few others, including the way he is integrating within the group.”
Kolo Muani: “We Have Total Faith — But He Must Bring Results in These Games”
The Frosinone strigliata received its full and decisive context. “I had also made myself a sheet with all the declarations I had made about Kolo Muani — all the beautiful things I had said. You only liked that one. We have total faith in Kolo Muani’s qualities because we went and signed him, we made a very significant investment, and we want to put him in the best possible conditions to repay the trust we have given him. He is a very good footballer — he comes to meet the ball and then when he starts to gallop it becomes very difficult to recover the ground he gains. He is very fast and smooth with his feet when linking play. He jumps opponents. I only said he needs to pay attention to the fact that he has not played all that much recently — of the appearances he has made, the minute count is half, so the full matches are half of half. I wanted to allude to this without being pedantic. He needs to play — because a footballer like him in matches like the one at Frosinone needs to bring home the result. That is extremely simple. I am certain he will become very strong for us — but there is also a need for his availability, his seriousness, his determination to become a genuine top scorer. He has all the capabilities. But the foundation is always character.”
Kessié: Possible — but FFP Makes It Extremely Difficult Without Exits
The transfer market’s most awaited topic received the clearest and most honest statement Spalletti has yet made on the subject. “We chose to build the squad this way and we must accept it — and probably transform it not into a difficulty but into an opportunity. Our directors are working and will do so until the last moment. Kessié? They are talking. Then it remains to be seen whether it is possible — because the FFP constraints are very tight and we must keep within our possibilities. Being a free agent makes it more possible than others — but when you talk about loans, even free ones, you have to confront this Financial Fair Play. Without exits it becomes impossible to bring people in. If the directors manage to find the right balance, it is something that can be possible. You know that very well.”
Nico González: “We Are Happy if He Stays — We Will Not Give Him Away”
Perhaps the most surprising passage of the entire conference was the warm and spontaneous defence of Nico González — a player widely assumed to be heading for the exit. “We are happy if he stays. We are not willing to give him away because he has an important value for us. He is very joyful — he is inside the group, very relational. He can play in multiple roles. When matches become compressed, raising the level is fundamental — and I think the club has done that with the players it has brought in. Kolo Muani, Nico, David — they are all players who know how to play behind the striker.”
“Thuram’s Situation Worries Me — Grabara Is a True First-Choice Backup”
The conference closed with two final observations of considerable significance. On Thuram: “I am worried — because he has the Juventus level. The fact that there is now a step back in this situation concerns me, because the whole summer has passed.” On Grabara: “He is a genuine first-choice backup.” It is the most direct and authoritative public endorsement the Polish goalkeeper has received since his arrival — and a signal that Spalletti regards the goalkeeping department, even in its rebuilt form, as genuinely competitive rather than merely adequately staffed.
