Juventus Transfer Market: Players Rejected by the Bianconeri Save Luciano Spalletti Once Again: A Mystery
Many people are asking themselves this question. Back in Frosinone, Juventus’s two goals came courtesy of two players who were already packing their bags: Nico Gonzalez and Teun Koopmeiners. On Sunday evening as well, during the home match against Milan, two players who the Old Lady would have let go had suitable offers come in took center stage: Koopmeiners himself, who delivered the cross, and Federico Gatti—a player Max Allegri’s Napoli were very keen on—who scored with a header in stoppage time. Against the Rossoneri, the Dutch former Atalanta player came on in the 64th minute, while the defender (Luciano Spalletti’s intuition should not be underestimated) entered the game as late as the 88th minute, alongside another player deemed surplus to requirements: Edon Zhegrova, a Kosovar who could still be on the move since the summer transfer window isn’t over yet in some countries.
For Gatti, in particular, his fate seemed sealed already in the preceding weeks. Porto had made a concrete offer for a loan with an option to buy: the Dragons would have included the Juventus center-back directly on their Champions League roster. Juventus, however, had rejected the proposal outright, wanting to cash in immediately, and so the defender remained in Turin. A decision that, in light of his 92nd-minute goal against Milan, now appears providential, to say the least.
The situation is different for Koopmeiners. Right up until the last day of the transfer window, Vincenzo Italiano’s Besiktas—the club that signed Fabio Miretti—had been knocking on Juventus’ door, but CEO Carnevali had rejected the offer. Signed for over 50 million euros and never having truly broken through in Turin, the Dutchman seemed destined to leave. The Turkish transfer window closed last Friday, and Koopmeiners is still with the Bianconeri: his cross to Gatti’s head is worth more than any failed negotiation.
As for Zhegrova, however, the situation remains fluid. The Kosovar winger was left off Spalletti’s UEFA roster for European competitions—an unmistakable sign of his standing within the Bianconeri hierarchy. Al-Ittihad is the frontrunner: the Saudi club has already contacted the player and received a green light from Juventus, which is even open to a simple loan deal just to get rid of his hefty salary. Before the Saudi option emerged, Lazio had also been mentioned, but the negotiations fell through due to the player’s past physical issues—two surgeries for groin pain—and a lack of overall agreement between the parties.
In short, the paradox is complete. Juventus is starting the season with more benchwarmers than starters, and yet it’s precisely these “castoffs” who are scoring the decisive goals. Carnevali, on the sidelines of the Gran Galà del Calcio, had tried to frame the situation pragmatically: “We need to highlight Koopmeiners and Nico Gonzalez to ensure their value is maximized.” For now, at least on the field, that value is coming to the surface on its own.
