Spalletti: ‘Juventus made some bad signings in recent years’ | OneFootball

Luciano Spalletti admits Juventus ‘made some bad signings in the last few years’ and feels they finally have the ‘perfect’ directors in charge to change things.

The Bianconeri played a 2-0 friendly victory over OGC Nice this evening, with goals from Douglas Luiz and youth team player Justin Oboavwoduo.

“I liked a lot today, as last season the team would go on the attack even when it couldn’t feel the support of the defence and midfield, so would press even when the rest of the team wasn’t ready,” Spalletti told Sky Sport Italia.

“Instead, today they did well, filling that gap, winning back the ball and creating some interesting developments, even if they still lost the ball a bit too easily at times.”

Spalletti eager to change Juventus squad

SASSUOLO, ITALY – JANUARY 06: Luciano Spalletti head coach of Juventus and Giovanni Carnevali Ceo of US Sassuolo during the Serie A match between US Sassuolo Calcio and Juventus FC at Mapei Stadium Citta del Tricolore on January 06, 2026 in Sassuolo, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)

Douglas Luiz returned from his loan experiences at Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa, seemingly determined to win himself another chance with Juventus.

“He looked sharper and helped cover the defence more after playing the ball. He moved faster, which is crucial. I could’ve left him on a little longer, but the fact nobody had muscular problems today is a good development.”

The transfer window is wide open and Juventus have so far been quite static, until suddenly surging with deals in place for Randal Kolo Muani from PSG and Bayer Leverkusen winger Kerim Alajbegovic.

Spalletti was asked if he expected some more new signings before the pre-season tour, and seemed to hit out at former directors like Cristiano Giuntoli and Damien Comolli.

Jeff Ekhator and director Giovanni Carnevali (juventus.com)

“My office is right next to Ottolini and Massara, so I know everything that is happening, I see their effort and their presence on the transfer market,” replied Spalletti.

“They are well-known directors, with experience and strong contacts. The transfer market is complicated for various reasons, we made some bad signings in recent years, so now we’ve got to fill those gaps.

“Unlike some other clubs, we also cannot just pay any sum, so we’ve got to make the most of things. I think the directors are perfect.”

Marco Ottolini was brought in from Genoa as director of sport in January, with Frederic Massara as technical director on July 7.

CEO Giovanni Carnevali arrived from Sassuolo in June.