The two monuments of Italian football failed, spectacularly, in their quest to qualify for the Champions League, on the last day of Serie A. And they chose two very distinct paths to recover from this disillusionment. AC Milan has decided to make a clean slate by firing the managing director, the sporting director and the coach. Juventus did the opposite, by reinforcing Damien Comolli, general director, and Luciano Spalletti, the coach. But nothing says that this stability will bear fruit, already because tensions appear between the two men.
Tension between Comolli and Spalletti
The French leader gave an interview to review the season and spoke of a failure. Logic ? Not for Spalletti, who arrived during the season to redress the situation and who believes he managed the group well. According to La Stampathe coach clearly did not appreciate Comolli’s words, especially since he was not involved during the winter transfer window. He had notably called for a new attacker, but had seen the arrival of Boga and Holm, two validated recruits certainly, but no scorer.
Obviously, the disagreements are not going to stop there. Spalletti wants to keep Dusan Vlahovic, who has reached the end of his contract, whose management has been a headache for all managers in recent seasons. The Serbian remained the team’s most reliable striker despite his contractual situation and his physical fragility. The Italian coach also called for Alisson, while his goalkeepers displayed permanent feverishness, costing the Old Lady several points. But the file turns out to be more complex than expected, since the Brazilian goalkeeper is retained by the Reds and is not against the idea of staying there.
Sporting ambition vs. financial consolidation
Another subject of contention is the Douglas Luiz case. Recruited €50 million from Aston Villa in the summer of 2024, he failed in Turin, before being loaned successively to Nottingham Forest then to Aston Villa this season. He will therefore return to the squad, and Comolli wants to ride on his popularity in England to sell him to the highest bidder and thus give some breathing room to the finances. However, Luciano Spalletti would be delighted to recover the Brazilian midfielder and make him a key man next season. The dissonance exists, between a coach who wants to rely on strong elements to relaunch a new cycle and a general director who must compensate for the financial losses due to the absence of the Champions League.
Boss John Elkann has planned a meeting with Spalletti, Comolli but also Chiellini to ease tensions and demand unity essential to the success of the next season. The Italian coach intends to take the opportunity to ask to be more involved in the transfer window. Stuck between its desire to bounce back and the obligation to clean up finances in poor shape after years of spending without any real sporting achievements, Juventus must first ensure that the chosen stability is applicable…
