Giuntoli: “One eye on the history of Juve and one on the accounts. Cheerful? He is the most talented technician”

TURIN – “Going back to being competitive and virtuous at the same time”. Cristiano Giuntoli’s manifesto is the union between accounts and the field, between budgeted results and victories: on the day of his debut in front of the microphones, the new Juventus Football Director outlined what his job will be in black and white. “My arrival is not an event but a journey” he specified immediately, underlining several times the cohesion of the group, of the Juventus management all present in the front row: the president Ferrero as well as Scanavino, Calvo and Cherubini up to the closest collaborator of Giuntoli, Giovanni Manna, his right arm on the market. After thanking De Laurentiis, Napoli and the fans as well as the Azzurri managers, staff and players, he took on the role of head of the Juventus sports area by addressing delicate issues on the transfer market. From Lukaku (“we talk to many clubs, then the newspapers embroider us”) to Vlahovic, considered “non-transferable”.

Building the Juventus of the present and the future

“Taking a look at the accounts and one at the history of Juventus” was, together with the word “sustainable”, the leitmotif of Giuntoli’s presentation. That’s why the words about the center forward could only be those mentioned above: “We are betting very strongly on Vlahovic, Chiesa, Milik” he specified, shifting the focus from the need to sell the Serbian to putting him at the center of the project so as not to devalue him. He will only go away at certain figures: “It’s no secret that we have to settle the accounts, we are betting on him and on Chiesa, but if offers arrive we will think about it”. It will be difficult to make the two opposing objectives coexist, to think about the accounts and the competitiveness, the history and the winning tradition of Juventus. A journey started by the Juventus management before his arrival: “The club has moved in an extraordinary way by confirming Rabiot, one of the best midfielders in the world, has taken Weah, a very talented player, plus bought Milik. We have many players in many roles, we have to rationalize the squad. Taking young people is important but we have to find a balance between sustainability and competitiveness”.

The second phase of the market, that of sales

Although everyone is talking about Lukaku, who Giuntoli has never denied (“Right now I don’t feel like saying anything, the transfer market has just begun”), the transfers, rationalization of the squad are at the top of the Juventus manager’s agenda . “The entry market is finished, we have to rationalize and we don’t know how many competitions we will play, we are working on exits and that’s it”: sell to get the Juventus market off the ground after the first signings. The list of players on the starting foot is long, and includes players outside the technical project: Arthur, Bonucci, Zakaria but not McKennie, at least for now, on the eve of the tour in the United States. “McKennie was never said outside the project, there are guys who work separately and are on the market and others who are part of the project. We are negotiating Zakaria with a couple of clubs, as well as Arthur. Leonardo (Bonucci, ed) We are negotiating with other clubs but we haven’t found anything they like.”

The combination with Allegri

No problem with Allegri, indeed. The new combination works great, at least hearing Giuntoli’s words, who will be able to experience the relationship with the coach in close contact, given his willingness to follow the matches on the bench, without speaking or intervening but only to observe, understand more detailed. Autonomy is also maximum on the transfer market, “Allegri hasn’t made any specific requests” Giuntoli specified, before giving his first impressions: “I talk to him every day, he’s happy with the team. I think he should continue working on young players “, given that the coach made 5-6 Under 23 players make their debut at Juve, it’s not easy. Last year was extraordinarily difficult, a person of his level was ideal. They finished third, let’s not forget that Juve he had an important year, an important journey. We believe that Massimiliano can continue this journey with great quality. To obtain great results, you need talent, mentality and discipline. We are sure that he is the most talented of all”. Finally, a few words on players in the balance, like Pogba, or players on the market, like Bonucci: “Pogba comes from a troubled year. He wants to come back, we’re waiting for him, he’s essential for us. A replacement for Bonucci? We have many , we have Alex Sandro, Rugani, Bremer, Gatti, Danilo, De Winter. We think we’re fine like this. On the contrary: depending on how things go, someone could leave”.