Juventus director Maurizio Arrivabene aimed a sideswipe at Paulo Dybala, Matthijs de Ligt and Mino Raiola. ‘Nowadays players have more loyalty to their agents than the club shirt.’
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CEO Arrivabene spoke to DAZN before kick-off and was asked about the recent poor form and difficulties, including the investigation into their transfers, potentially inflated capital gains and contract disputes.
“The club has the objective of creating an environment for sustainability of costs, the team and coach have a precise objective that they know,” said Arrivabene.
“I want to thank the fans, as they are an important part of the club. We saw their support in Bologna, that being a Juventino also means being there during the difficult moments. It’s too easy to just be a Juve fan when things are going well.”
With that in mind, Arrivabene was also asked about the contract situations of Dybala, who has not yet signed a new deal despite the fact it expires at the end of this season, and Raiola’s comments that De Ligt was ‘ready for another step’ in his career.
“I am accustomed to being a plain-speaker. Nowadays, many players have more loyalty to their agents than they do to the club shirt.
“Dybala is the Juventus Number 10 and De Ligt is a great defender. They have to do their jobs, we do ours. But there is a good rapport.
“It’s very easy to talk about how much you care for the club colours, but you need to prove it on the pitch. And we want them to prove it.”
Are Dybala and De Ligt proving how much they care about Juventus on the pitch?
“Dybala had a lot of problems lately, but when he did play, he did well. He is an important player for Juventus,” replied the CEO.
“De Ligt’s performances are there for all to see. We have a good rapport, when the moment comes, we will speak to them, just as we do to other players. We don’t make any differences between them.”