The long wait is over, the Thiago Motta era officially begins at Juve. And it was a long day between social media and forums, with the fans in turmoil because it was understood that the press release would arrive at any moment. The club announced the white smoke with a short clip on social media: hundreds of balls rain down on the Allianz Stadium to form the letters T and M in the two midfield circles.
Then, at 7pm, here is the announcement: “The Italian-Brazilian coach has signed an agreement with Juventus until 30 June 2027” the club announced in a note, sparking the joy of the Juventus people on social media. Yes, because after Massimiliano Allegri and the brief interregnum of Paolo Montero, a new leader was expected at Continassa. “I am really happy to begin a new experience at the helm of a great club like Juve”, Thiago Motta’s first words to the official channels. The former midfielder has yet to turn 42, yet he has already had a good apprenticeship on the bench: first in the PSG youth team, then his return to Genoa in 2019, finally his experience at La Spezia. They were chiaroscuro adventures, but then Thiago Motta took up Mihajlovic’s legacy in Bologna and it was a surge of emotions and results. He takes the rossoblu in September 2022 in twelfth place with six points in six games and takes them to the Champions League in the space of 18 months. Sports director Giuntoli observed his growth and was impressed by modern football and the enormous work on young people, so he put him at the top of his preferences and managed to close the deal.
“I thank the owners and the management who I assure of all my ambition to keep the Juventus colors high and make the fans happy”, added Thiago Motta at the time of the announcement. Now the countdown towards the new season can begin, with the Continassa gates reopening around July 10th. And the Italian-Brazilian will be there to welcome the players, even if a large part of the group will only rejoin in the following weeks due to commitments with their respective national teams. The market, however, has also undergone the first acceleration: Giuntoli’s dialogues are mainly with English clubs, including contacts with Manchester United for Greenwood and with Aston Villa to get Douglas Luiz. In both cases it will still be necessary to negotiate, even with the possibility of inserting McKennie and Iling-Junior as partial counterparts for the Villans, while only the official announcement is awaited for the new goalkeeper: the Juventus posts will be entrusted to Di Gregorio, with Szczesny seems inclined to accept Al-Nassr’s rich offer in Saudi Arabia.
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