Juventus flies, with the Comolli-Chiellini tandem the future of management clearer

(Il Sole 24 Ore Radicor) - The Juventus Fc is preparing for the new Club World Cup (starting June 14) and the summer market session by racing through the stock market, while summit after summit is fitting the pieces on the new management and the future squad. In its 'new era' - which should begin with the probable departure of the controversial technical director Cristiano Giuntoli - the Old Lady intends to restart with one of the legends of its recent past, Giorgio Chiellini. The former Juve and national team defender, according to what the club announced in a note, will have the position of Director of Football Strategy, in close collaboration with the new general manager Damian Comolli. A figure of international stature, who 'has held key roles at prestigious clubs such as Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool, Fenerbahçe and, most recently, Toulouse, where he led the club to promotion to Ligue 1 and victory in the Coupe de France,' the club explained in a note.

The issues on Comolli's notebook - who 'will have responsibility for the Men's Sports Area and the Marketing and Commercial Directorates,' according to the press release - are already many. They range from the choice of the new sporting director, with Diego Lopez from Lens and former AC Milan and Rennes player Frederic Massara among the favourites, to the first market strategies for the 'special' pre-World Cup club window. To lighten the club's accounts, a few disposals will be necessary at the end of the month. If, according to indiscretions, Mbangula, Savona and Douglas Luiz are already with their suitcases in hand, the Comolli-Chiellini couple are planning to blind the young Turkish talent Kenan Yildiz, but also the French midfielder Kephren Thuram, among the revelations of this season, as well as the defender Andrea Cambiaso, already courted in the winter market session by a top club like Manchester City. This is a clear reversal of the rumours of possible painful farewells, which had frightened the bianconeri fans in the past weeks. To this we must add that the Club World Cup could bring new hay into the Old Lady's coffers for the market: the prize money for the winner is in fact fixed at 115 million euros, but for the Old Lady and Inter (the only Italians in the competition) the round of 16 could be worth 25 million.

Beyond the purchasing campaign, there remains the most difficult question for Juve, that of the coach. After Antonio Conte (reconfirmed at Napoli) and Giampiero Gasperini (freshly signed at Roma), the hypotheses of Roberto Mancini and Stefano Pioli have come up, while some rumours even speak of negotiations with Simone Inzaghi, in case of a possible divorce from Inter, after the drubbing suffered by the black and blue in the Champions League final (5-0 against Psg). For the time being, Juventus will go ahead with Igor Tudor and it is not excluded that, after having delivered the Champions League qualification to an Old Lady who has been through a fluctuating month with Thiago Motta, in case of a positive World Cup, the Croatian coach will be able to wrest a confirmation.