Juventus is advancing to the brink before a final day which could change an entire project. Beaten by Fiorentina in a tense Allianz Stadium, the Old Lady fell to a worrying sixth place and now sees the next Champions League slipping away from them. The Derby della Mole against rival Torino then takes on a crucial dimension since it could decide the sporting, economic and institutional future of the Turin club. This season was to mark Juve’s lasting return among the great European powers. It ultimately risks becoming that of a new historic failure. The early elimination in the Champions League play-offs against Galatasaray in a crazy scenario has already left deep marks in the club’s finances and image. The Coppa Italia quarter-final exit accentuated the frustration of an environment which hoped to finally find stability after several years of permanent turbulence. Today, Juventus gives the impression of a giant weakened at all levels, incapable of finding sporting continuity despite massive investments and incessant changes. The climate is all the more heavy as the season was marked by a new shock on the bank. Igor Tudor was dismissed before the arrival of Luciano Spalletti, presented as the man capable of relaunching an ambitious cycle.
The former Italian coach had nevertheless managed to restore a collective identity and a certain technical coherence to a long-lost team. But the momentum suddenly broke in the final sprint. Juventus already occupied a delicate position at the time of his arrival and hoped to return to the top 4. Several months later, the club found itself even further from the expected standards with a huge delay in the top places. If Spalletti retains the support of part of the management, in particular that of the owner and cousin of Andrea Agnelli, John Elkann, the latest performances have caused immense anger among fans. The Italian technician himself appeared marked after the defeat against Fiorentina, aware that the failure to qualify for the Champions League would tip his project into an area of strong turbulence. “I have to take stock, because I have to bring something different. I’ll be talking to John Elkann this week. The season was great, but we weren’t able to seize the key moments to make it a truly exceptional season.”he explained at a press conference.
From Comolli to Yildiz, the collateral victims
The threat now goes far beyond the sporting framework. According to the Gazzetta dello Sportan absence from the Champions League could cost Juventus up to 80 million euros with losses linked to UEFA bonuses, stadium revenues and commercial consequences. Such a financial explosion would call into question the entire strategy entrusted to Damien Comolli by John Elkann. The French leader, who arrived with the objective of thoroughly restructuring the club, saw his project seriously weakened after a failed season. The poor results, the recruitment choices discussed and the significant expenditure made on several files now push the ownership to question itself. Elkann would already be thinking about a new internal revolution if Juventus were to miss the biggest European competition. Several departures could then be considered in the organization chart despite the close relations between the boss of Exor and Comolli. This giant uncertainty also risks blocking many transfer window files. The paths leading to Bernardo Silva, Alisson Becker or even Randal Kolo Muani would become extremely complicated without the income from the C1 and without solid sporting guarantees. The Portuguese from Manchester City would absolutely like to play in the most prestigious of European competitions and Juve could see months of work on this file collapse.
The dark scenario does not end there since several major sacrifices would now be considered in order to rebalance the accounts under the supervision of UEFA’s financial fair play. Gleison Bremer still attracts the Premier League thanks to his high clause. Khéphren Thuram has a high market value. Andrea Cambiaso remains highly coveted. Francisco Conceição arouses significant interest in England. But the issue that worries fans the most concerns Kenan Yildiz. Considered the symbol of the future bianconero, the Turkish number 10 would no longer be untouchable in such a tense economic context. Juventus would only listen to colossal offers, but a possible assault from Real Madrid could completely reshuffle the cards. A sale for almost 100 million euros would avoid an accounting catastrophe while causing immense trauma among supporters. Juve could then enter a new cycle of reconstruction with a workforce cut by several executives, a weakened management project and a coach already under pressure after only a few months. The Derby della Mole therefore resembles much more than a simple championship meeting since it is perhaps the entire architecture of the future bianconero which is now played out over 90 minutes.
