Juventus Transfer Market: Luciano Spalletti’s Bitter Rant Sparks Debate Among Bianconeri Fans
Juventus’s season has gotten off to a rocky start. According to *La Gazzetta dello Sport*, tensions are running high at Continassa due to a slow start to the transfer window, and among the most frustrated is reportedly Luciano Spalletti, who expected to be further along one month before the start of Serie A. The Tuscan coach is currently leading a group of players, most of whom have their bags packed but are still stuck in Turin for the time being: among them are Di Gregorio, Gatti, Arthur, Openda, Milik, Zhegrova, Joao Mario, Cabal, and others. The only new signings are Ekhator from Genoa and Celik from Roma.
La Rosea reported on an outburst by Spalletti that took place in the locker room: “Guys, pick up the pace! I’ll stay here, but many of you will be leaving,” the Tuscan coach reportedly told the players. The Turin coach is primarily hoping for the arrival of a goalkeeper (for now, negotiations with Dibu Martinez, Suzuki, and Vicario are at a standstill) and two top-tier forwards. The names are the same as always: Kolo Muani, Zirkzee, and Richarlison—not to mention the Vlahovic situation, as he remains a free agent and currently has few serious offers. The former national team coach has also requested a midfielder (Kessié is the frontrunner) and a left-footed defender skilled at building play.
On Saturday, for the second preseason friendly against Standard Liège, Spalletti will have only three players available who could start: Cambiaso, Kalulu, and Locatelli. Khephren Thuram and Kenan Yildiz are behind in their conditioning and are training separately, while McKennie, Bremer, and Francisco Conceição are still on vacation following their World Cup exertions.
On the goalkeeping front, the situation is becoming increasingly complicated. The possibility of signing Dibu Martinez now seems to have been definitively ruled out: Aston Villa executive Damian Vidagany has closed the door entirely by publicly declaring that the Argentine is not for sale. The Suzuki option has also become more complicated, with Newcastle ready to submit an offer of around 30 million euros for the Japanese goalkeeper from Parma, who is coming off a strong World Cup performance. Against this backdrop, Juventus management is stepping up its pursuit of Noah Atubolu, a 2002-born goalkeeper from Freiburg who had already been linked to Inter before the Nerazzurri shifted their focus to Ivan Provedel. Atubolu’s contract expires in 2027, and attempts to renew it with the German club have failed, making Freiburg willing to let him go. However, in addition to Juventus, Aston Villa, Bournemouth, Brighton, and Atlético Madrid have also set their sights on him.
