Juventus CEO Maurizio Scanavino underlined the club’s faith in coach Massimiliano Allegri and spoke about their next steps following their difficult season.
The 2022-23 campaign was not an easy one for the Old Lady, who were subject to various legal battles and on-pitch disappointments in both European competitions and Serie A. Juventus’ seventh place finish leaves them in the Conference League and they failed to secure any silverware.
Juventus are now hoping to emerge from the clouds of this season and are looking ahead to the future, keen to kickstart a new post-Andrea Agnelli era.
Speaking to Sky Sports Italia, Scanavino first confirmed that Allegri would remain as the Juventus coach for next season.
“Allegri has never been under discussion. There is total agreement on all future scenarios, be they market, organisational or sporting in general. With the coach we have always had meetings, or talks, on a daily basis.
“In recent months we have been through this storm together and, in some ways, our relationship has been consolidated very quickly.
“There have been moments of confrontation, even heated ones, but always with constructive criticism and self-criticism, with the idea of always doing the best for Juventus.
“We must not forget the situation, the storm, that we experienced. All things considered, I believe that in the end we did well, even on the pitch with third place conquered and with two semi-finals in the Coppa Italia and Europa League.”
He responded to the Juventus fans hoping to see the back of Allegri this summer.
“We understand the fans’ discontent and they too have experienced a significant emotional upheaval in this period. Certainly Juventus are coming from a period of extraordinary success and situations like the current one have not helped them to achieve the usual satisfaction.
“We need to keep our feet on the ground, setting firm points. We have closed the legal affairs in Italy, Allegri is the right person to give consistency on a sporting level. There are aspects, however, that still need to be resolved and managed, like the financial one.
“We want to start again with humility, commitment and self-criticism to put ourselves back in a position to be competitive both on the pitch and in terms of the game as soon as possible.”
The Bianconeri was asked who would be in control of the various aspects at the club, from tactical work to transfer market moves.
“Two days after my appointment we found ourselves with a 15-point deduction and the ban of Cherubini. At that moment we created a working group with the appointment of Calvo and the promotion of Manna from Next Gen.
“We worked beyond specific qualifications and I think one of the most positive performances was that of Giovanni and I think we can say that he will take over the management of the market 100%.
“With Calvo, on the other hand, he will oversee the more managerial side of the sporting aspect.”
Scanavino discussed Napoli sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli, who is seemingly close to heading to Turin in the coming months.
“He has a contract with Napoli for one more year and it would not be fair to everyone to comment further. We need fixed points, people in charge 100%. Non-established situations and scenarios are not up to our evaluation at the moment.”
He was also asked about the possible contract renewal of Adrien Rabiot.
“The goal is to create a clear organisation, with defined responsibilities. Giovanni Manna will have to answer that question!”
The Juventus CEO assessed the club’s various legal battles.
“Since we were appointed, both President Ferrero and I found ourselves immediately in the storm, with a 15-point penalty in the table. The important thing is to have closed the situation without prolonging it, even with an important penalty. Now we can plan the future with more serenity.”
Scanavino discussed the club’s withdrawal from the Super League project and if it was linked to their situation with UEFA.
“On the one hand there is the Super League project with the communication made yesterday to Real and Barcelona, while on the other there is the UEFA investigation on which we can still say a lot. In any case, these are two absolutely separate things.”
Finally, Scanavino gave his thoughts on working in the world of football.
“I find it a very exciting world, which requires a lot of energy. With great professionalism and above all the aspect of competitiveness very strong. These are aspects that you also find in other sectors, but in this one you experience it more strongly.”