Spalletti: 'Juventus made some bad signings in recent years'
Quick summary
Italy national team head coach Luciano Spalletti publicly criticized Juventus's recent transfer activity, claiming the club has made poor signings in recent years.
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Attributed to original sourceLuciano Spalletti admits Juventus ‘made some bad signings in the last few years’ and feels they finally have the ‘perfect’ directors in charge to change things.
The Bianconeri played a 2-0 friendly victory over OGC Nice this evening, with goals from Douglas Luiz and youth team player Justin Oboavwoduo.
“I liked a lot today, as last season the team would go on the attack even when it couldn’t feel the support of the defence and midfield, so would press even when the rest of the team wasn’t ready,” Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia.
“Instead, today they did well, filling that gap, winning back the ball and creating some interesting developments, even if they still lost the ball a bit too easily at times.”
Spalletti eager to change Juventus squad SASSUOLO, ITALY – JANUARY 06: Luciano Spalletti head coach of Juventus and Giovanni Carnevali Ceo of US Sassuolo during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo Calcio and Juventus FC at Mapei Stadium Citta del Tricolore on January 06, 2026 in Sassuolo, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images) Douglas Luiz returned from his loan experiences at Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, seemingly determined to win himself another chance with Juventus.
“He looked sharper and helped cover the defence more after playing the ball. He moved faster, which is crucial. I could’ve left him on a little longer, but the fact nobody had muscular problems today is a good development.”
The transfer window is wide open and Juventus have so far been quite static, until suddenly surging with deals in place for Randal Kolo Muani from PSG and Bayer Leverkusen winger Kerim Alajbegovic.
Spalletti was asked if he expected some more new signings before the pre-season tour, and seemed to hit out at former directors like Cristiano Giuntoli and Damien Comolli.
Jeff Ekhator and director Giovanni Carnevali (juventus.com) “My office is right next to Ottolini and Massara, so I know everything that is happening, I see their effort and their presence on the transfer market,” replied Spalletti.
“They are well-known directors, with experience and strong contacts. The transfer market is complicated for various reasons, we made some bad signings in recent years, so now we’ve got to fill those gaps.
“Unlike some other clubs, we also cannot just pay any sum, so we’ve got to make the most of things. I think the directors are perfect.”
Marco Ottolini was brought in from Genoa as director of sport in January, with Frederic Massara as technical director on July 7.
CEO Giovanni Carnevali arrived from Sassuolo in June.
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What happened
Luciano Spalletti, currently managing the Italian national team, has weighed in on Juventus's recruitment strategy, stating that the Turin club made 'some bad signings' in recent years. The comments reflect a broader narrative of scrutiny around Juventus's post-Calciopoli and post-Ronaldo era squad building. While Spalletti's remarks are observational rather than insider knowledge, they add to external pressure on Juventus's sporting direction heading into a new season.
Chance analysis
This is a high-profile external criticism of Juventus's recruitment model from a respected Italian coach. It doesn't directly affect match outcomes but contributes to a reputational narrative that could influence player morale, fan sentiment, and boardroom decisions at Juventus. For prediction systems, the story has no direct match-impacting data but may be relevant as context around Juventus's squad quality and management scrutiny.
Negative reputational pressure on Juventus's sporting project; no immediate on-pitch impact expected.
Public criticism of Juventus's recruitment does not change their on-pitch capabilities for the next match but adds to a narrative of squad-building dysfunction worth tracking over a full season window.