Thiago Motta may lose his job at the end of his first season in charge of Juventus after the 4-0 thrashing at home against Atalanta in Serie A on Sunday evening. However, the loss was not the first in a season of ups and downs for the Bianconeri.
Motta, the successor to five-time Serie A winner Massimiliano Allegri, was expected to start a new era in Turin, and he brought numerous promising new players in a summer transfer window that cost the club just shy of €200m.
At the end of June, Aston Villa star Douglas Luiz was the first to go for €50m. He was followed by OGC Nice midfielder Khephren Thuram for €20m with bonuses and Atalanta’s Teun Koopmeiners for €60m.
Goalkeeper Michele Di Gregorio, Pierre Kalulu, and Nico Gonzalez joined on loans with buyout clauses in the summer. Juan Cabal signed a permanent deal, and Francisco Conceicao came on loan, but there is an informal agreement for his permanent signing.
Though there was enthusiasm over Juventus’ summer signings, the squad’s deficiencies have plagued the team for most of 2024-25.
Long-term knee injuries to Gleison Bremer and Juan Cabal left Motta with only Federico Gatti and Pierre Kalulu at centre-back for most of the first half of the season. Dusan Vlahovic was the lone centre-forward until Randal Kolo Muani arrived in January, putting too much pressure on him and causing conflict between him and the fans.
