Igor Tudor feels Juventus need three reinforcements to become credible title contenders next season, but a 5-2 loss against Manchester City proved the Bianconeri will require more new faces.
Juventus faced a brutal reality check on Thursday, suffering a 5-2 loss to Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City. The Bianconeri had already qualified for the Club World Cup Round of 16 following victories against Al Ain and Wydad and only needed a draw to win Group G.
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Even if Juventus had beaten Manchester City in the Champions League in November under Thiago Motta, the Premier League giants’ latest win wasn’t really surprising, except for the scale of their triumph.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – JUNE 26: Phil Foden #47 of Manchester City scores his team’s fourth goal during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group G match between Juventus FC and Manchester City FC at Camping World Stadium on June 26, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
The scoreline says everything you know about the game, even more than Man City’s 24 shots against Juventus’ five and the seven Michele Di Gregorio’s saves against Ederson’s none.
True, Igor Tudor had rotated the team considerably, starting a few key players on the bench, including Kenan Yildiz, Randal Kolo Muani, and Andrea Cambiaso, and giving, perhaps, a final chance to the struggling Teun Koopmeiners, Nico Gonzalez, and Dusan Vlahovic.
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Tudor reiterated at the start of the Club World Cup, and even before that, after the final Serie A match of the season, against Venezia, that the Bianconeri would need three new signings to be genuine title contenders next season.
Nevertheless, the result and the performance against Manchester City suggest otherwise.
What Juventus need in defence and midfield
epa12014617 Juventus Manuel Locatelli jubilates after scoring the opening goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match AS Roma vs Juventus FC at Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 06 April 2025. EPA-EFE/ANGELO CARCONI
Gleison Bremer will be like a new signing in defence, returning to action after a tricky ligament injury sustained in October. However, if Pierre Kalulu is the starting right central defender in a 3-4-2-1 formation, then the Bianconeri will need a new face at the back unless Federico Gatti is used on the left-hand side of the backline or the inconsistent Lloyd Kelly is tasked with the job.
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Moving into the midfield department, Juventus will surely need a right or left wing-back as Andrea Cambiaso can play on either flank. On the right, Alberto Costa showed decent developments, especially in the final third of the pitch during the Club World Cup, but his performance against Manchester City suggests he still has a lot of work to do defensively.
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – JUNE 26: Pierre Kalulu #15 of Juventus FC reacts after conceding an own goal scored for Manchester City’s second goal during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group G match between Juventus FC and Manchester City FC at Camping World Stadium on June 26, 2025 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Megan Briggs/Getty Images)
Nico Gonzalez was one of the wingers signed with Thiago Motta last summer, but the Argentine is struggling to adapt to a right-wing-back position with more defensive duties than a custom attacking winger, and has also failed to deliver consistently as an attacking midfielder, contrary to Francisco Conceiçao.
In central midfield, Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram appear to be the designated starters, but Juventus need more quality in the core of the pitch, and considering an upgrade on Locatelli should not be out of question. Could Teun Koopmeiners be the man replacing Locatelli as the team’s playmaker? Debatable, mainly because the Dutchman has played five of his six games under Tudor as an attacking midfielder.
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Kenan Yildiz will surely be the man to watch in Turin next season. In the game against Manchester City, he set up Dusan Vlahovic twice, seeing the Serbian waste the first chance and find the net with his second attempt. But who could partner Yildiz behind a lone striker? Yet again, Koopmeiners is an option, but he desperately needs to regain confidence and be more effective in front of the goal, while Conceiçao has shown good progress in the Club World Cup.
Kolo Muani key to Juventus transfer strategy in attack
PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA – JUNE 22: Kenan Yildiz #10 of Juventus FC celebrates scoring his team’s third goal with Randal Kolo Muani #20 of Juventus FC during the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group G match between Juventus FC and Wydad AC at Lincoln Financial Field on June 22, 2025 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Nevertheless, the Portuguese is on loan at Juventus, who must pay €30m to make his move permanent from Porto. According to Gazzetta, the number one alternative to Chico is Manchester United’s outcast Jadon Sancho.
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Last but not least, there’s the attack. Yet again, Kolo Muani is on loan from PSG until the end of the Club World Cup, and Juventus must negotiate a longer deal with the Ligue 1 giants, knowing that the France international would be glad to stay at the Allianz Stadium. On the other hand, Vlahovic is tipped to leave as his contract expires in 2026 and he has shown no desire to continue with the Old Lady.
This means Juventus will need one new centre forward if Kolo Muani stays, otherwise they’ll be looking for two central strikers.
The main name linked with a move to Juventus these days is Jonathan David, who has already reached an agreement with the Serie A giants but is waiting for his representatives to finalise the details regarding agent fees.
With the Bianconeri competing in three competitions again next season, including the Champions League, it’s predictable that they’ll need at least four or five new signings to be competitive again in 2025-26. The latest defeat against Manchester City clearly showed that many of those who started the game can’t be offered a guaranteed spot in the Bianconeri’s XI next season.
