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Comolli: Juventus ‘feel stronger’ after summer transfer business

As Juventus see the first Derby d’Italia of the 2025-26 season just a couple of days away, Thursday also provided the club with the first of three straight days in which the Italian media will be present at the Allianz Stadium.

It was the day for Juve to officially present their two Deadline Day signings, Edon Zhegrova and Loïs Openda, who arrived from Ligue 1 side Lille and RB Leipzig of the Bundesliga, respectively. With the timing of their two arrivals and the first international break coinciding, we hadn’t seen Juve general manager Damien Comolli in a couple of weeks.

And he sure was ready to chat about what went down during his first summer mercato in Turin as he took to the microphone at the presentation to officially introduce Zhegrova and Openda.

“I want to thank the players who have left us, thank them for all the contributions they gave and what they brought to the club. We wish them the best.

“We sought to strike a balance between the financial aspect, particularly in relation to Financial Fair Play, and building a competitive squad, while also looking to strengthen. I think we managed to do that, find the right balance.”

(Quotes via Football Italia and Ilbianconero.com)

One of the biggest stories that dominated the summer was a deal that ended up not happening. That is Juventus’ pursuit to try and sign striker Randal Kolo Muani beyond his loan spell that ran through the Club World Cup.

However, that deal proved to be one that proved ultimately too difficult and too expensive to see completed, with Comolli reportedly pulling out of negotiations with Paris Saint-Germain due to the increasingly complicated demands of the European champions. It was reported last week that PSG was not happy with Comolli when it came to how negotiations for Kolo Muani was handled and how that caused things to fall through — something that Juve’s first-year GM denied with a purpose at Thursday’s press conference.

“I’ve read articles about the supposed discussion with the PSG President. That is false. It’s a lie. Some tried to manipulate a situation that doesn’t exist. I’ve always supported the big clubs, and I’ve always had an excellent relationship with them. And the same goes for PSG.”

Despite there only being a small number of new players arriving this summer, Comolli spoke very highly of Juventus’ transfer window activity. It was far from the whirlwind three-month stretch that Cristiano Giuntoli tried to undertake — and ultimately proved to be what, at least in part, cost him his job — last year as he attempted to build a competitive squad for Thiago Motta from the jump.

Comolli said the summer window was a successful one where “we feel stronger” as a squad heading into Saturday night’s Derby d’Italia against Inter Milan.

“We successfully closed the transfer window, and we feel stronger. We believe we can be competitive and push forward with results. We are also among the youngest squads in Serie A, which was intentional.

“I am really satisfied with how we managed the transfer market. I thank the ownership for their commitment to the window; their presence, effort and availability were remarkable. I have always been encouraged to push myself further and achieve our goals. This has shown the extraordinary commitment and dedication they have towards the club.”

So, as Comolli set out on his first transfer campaign as the Juve general manager, what was the main objective?

“One of the key goals was to maintain the team’s backbone. We have a very competitive squad, and we were not comfortable selling some players who will play a significant role in the future. We chose which players to keep with this in mind.

“We are excited about Edon and Lois. I admired Edon’s creativity when I was at Toulouse, and his ability to make things happen. It was exactly what we were looking for. And then there’s Lois’ finishing ability, his skill in playing and starting moves from different positions on the pitch.”

Zhegrova was a teammate at Lille with Juventus’ other big attacking signing, Jonathan David, arriving on a deal worth an initial €14.3 million fee after the 26-year-old Kosovo winger made it known he wanted to seek a new club and not sign on with the French side he had been with for the previous five seasons.

Openda, a 25-year-old Belgian, arrived on a season-long loan deal from Leipzig that will become an obligation under certain conditions that are linked to his appearances this season. Juve would pay a fee worth an initial €40.6 million if (or when?) the obligation kicks in next summer.

Zhegrova and Openda were Deadline Day arrivals, but leaving things so late was something that wasn’t in Juventus’ plans when the summer began, Comolli added.

“It wasn’t our intention to sign players on the last day; we were waiting to see what would happen with Nico (Gonzalez) at Atletico Madrid, and that’s why we found ourselves moving late.

“They were very patient and committed. With Lois, we had been in talks for weeks and then managed to finalize everything in the final hours. There were several factors to consider, and we believed his style of play was ideal for us.”