Burkina Faso
Czech Republic
Lithuania
Montenegro
Nigeria
North Macedonia
United Arab Emirates

Juventus confirm new head coach after chaotic Massimiliano Allegri sacking

sportsmole.co.uk, 12 June 2024, 22:09
Serie A giants Juventus have confirmed the appointment of 41-year-old Thiago Motta as their new head coach following the sacking of Massimiliano Allegri.

The former Italy midfielder - who represented the likes of Barcelona, Paris Saint-Germain, Inter Milan and Atletico Madrid during his playing heyday - has joined the Bianconeri on a three-year deal until the end of the 2026-27 season.

Motta steps into the shoes of the highly-successful Allegri, who won a total of 12 trophies during two separate spells in Turin, including the 2023-24 Coppa Italia title with a 1-0 victory over Atalanta BC in the final.

However, Juventus' title celebrations were overshadowed by an Allegri meltdown, as the 56-year-old - who was sent off during the final - allegedly verbally threatened officials and also snubbed sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli.

Juventus - who had been expected to fire Allegri for some time anyway - confirmed the Italian's sacking just a couple of days later, citing "certain behaviours" during the final that were "deemed incompatible" with the club's values.

Motta vows to "keep the Juventus flag flying high"

Juventus ramped up discussions with Motta once Allegri had been given the boot, and Bologna confirmed before their final game of the Serie A season that the erstwhile midfielder would be leaving the club this summer.

Now, Motta has been officially appointed the new head coach of the Bianconeri after an astounding campaign at Dall'Ara, where he led Bologna into the Champions League with a fifth-placed Serie A finish.

Motta's Bologna outfit finished just two places and three points worse off than Juventus in the standings, and their ranking sufficed for UCL qualification thanks to Italy's UEFA coefficient.

"I am really happy to begin a new chapter at the helm of a great club like Juventus. I thank the owners and the management, who can be sure of my ambition to keep the Juventus flag flying high and to please the fans," Motta told the official Juventus website.

The 41-year-old had previously taken charge of Spezia and Genoa before his successful two-year spell at Bologna, whom he led to 35 victories from his 76 matches at the helm.

Which players could Motta sign for Juventus?

As well as having their head coach poached from their ranks, Bologna are also braced for an influx of bids for some of their prized assets, many of whom should be allowed to go for the right price.

One man heavily tipped to follow Motta to the Allianz Stadium is 22-year-old centre-back Riccardo Calafiori, who is reported to have agreed personal terms with the Bianconeri, but Bologna are demanding €30m (£25.4m) to let him depart.

Dutch attacker Joshua Zirkzee is unlikely to follow Calafiori to Juventus, though, as the Old Lady are not in desperate need of a new number nine, allowing Arsenal, Manchester United and AC Milan to battle for the 23-year-old.

Instead, a fresh face in goal and in midfield are set to arrive, as negotiations to sign Monza number one Michele Di Gregorio and Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz are thought to be progressing well.

Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling-Junior are set to head in the opposite direction in the Luiz deal, although Manchester United outcast Mason Greenwood could arrive as a replacement for the latter amid claims that he has also given the thumbs-up to joining Motta's side.

Show more

Top News

25 March 2025 talksport.com Trent Alexander-Arnold has agreed to join Real Madrid this summer, talkSPORT understands. 25 March 2025 talksport.com Reece James admitted that his muted celebration was due to his surprise that his free-kick resulted in a goal. 25 March 2025 talksport.com talkSPORT fans have settled the never-ending 'Club vs Country' debate. 25 March 2025 talksport.com talkSPORT has you covered for all the latest football news as some blockbuster transfer news breaks this morning. 25 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is apparently in direct contact with Bayer Leverkusen's Jeremie Frimpong ahead of Trent Alexander-Arnold's expected move to Real Madrid. 25 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Leicester City midfielder Wilfred Ndidi is reportedly open to a move to Turkish side Galatasaray should his team be relegated from the Premier League. 25 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 25 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Azerbaijan vs. Belarus (Tuesday, 5.45pm) Azerbaijan will be bidding to bounce back from a shock defeat when they host Belarus in a friendly on Tuesday night. 25 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Moldova vs. Estonia (Tuesday, 5.00pm) At least one of Moldova and Estonia will collect their first points of World Cup 2026 Qualifying when they lock horns at Stadionul Zimbru on Tuesday evening. 25 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Endrick has hinted at a possible Real Madrid exit after he revealed he fears his lack of playing time could cost him a place in Brazil's World Cup squad. 25 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly prepared to axe 10 players as part of Ruben Amorim's squad rebuild this summer. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has reportedly agreed personal terms with Spanish giants with Real Madrid. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Southampton have reportedly been boosted in their pursuit of Sheffield Wednesday manager Danny Rohl as his current club have identified assistant head coach Henrik Pedersen as their preferred replacement. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Thomas Tuchel always did bring the best out of Reece James. They won the Champions League together at Chelsea in 2021. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal Women will welcome Real Madrid Femenino to the Emirates Stadium for Wednesday's Women's Champions League clash. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Leaders Barcelona will welcome Osasuna to the Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys for Thursday's rescheduled La Liga contest. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Reece James scored a stunning goal that inspired England to another win as they brushed aside Latvia at Wembley. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea defender Reece James produced a standout display to help England claim a 3-0 victory over Latvia in qualifying for the 2026 World Cup. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Thomas Tuchel capped the perfect start to his England tenure as the Three Lions ran out comfortable 3-0 winners over Latvia. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Justin Kluivert has claimed that he does not expect his Bournemouth teammate Dean Huijsen to still be at the club next season amid interest from Spanish giants Real Madrid. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal defender Jurrien Timber is reportedly expected to be ready for the Premier League home meeting with Fulham on April 1. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Everton defender Jarrad Branthwaite is reportedly prepared to consider his future with the Toffees after being overlooked for a place in Thomas Tuchel's England squad. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool's ability to avoid regression next season is heavily dependent on how many stars they can renew, Reds expert David Lynch has argued. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk England head coach Thomas Tuchel has made four changes to his starting lineup for Monday's World Cup 2026 Qualifying clash with Latvia at Wembley. 24 March 2025 sportsmole.co.uk Lyon Women will welcome Bayern Munich Women to the Groupama Stadium for Wednesday's clash in the Women's Champions League quarter-finals. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Michael Owen has told talkSPORT that he believes Darwin Nunez will not be at Liverpool next season. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Bournemouth star Justin Kluivert has dropped a bombshell on teammate Dean Huijsen's future that no Cherries fan will want to hear. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Premier League clubs will discuss moving the date of the summer transfer window to before the season starts. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Premier League fans are going to be forced to wait even longer for some action as there are no fixtures planned for this weekend. 24 March 2025 talksport.com Manchester United great Teddy Sheringham believes the club missed a trick by not signing Harry Kane or Declan Rice.