Luca Toni suggests that new Juventus signing Douglas Luiz hasn’t fully understood Thiago Motta’s tactics yet but feels that Dusan Vlahovic can score 30 goals this season.
Douglas Luiz joined Juventus on a permanent €50m deal from Aston Villa this summer, although the final transfer fee for the Old Lady was cut to €28m following Enzo Barrenechea and Samuel Iling-Junior’s transfers to Villa Park.
Douglas Luiz was one of the most awaited new faces in Turin, but the Brazilian has only made three Serie A appearances as a substitute so far, collecting 55 minutes on the pitch.
“We’ve all understood, even us from the outside, that Thiago Motta doesn’t base decisions on the name behind the shirt but on what he sees in training,” Toni told Gazzetta.
Toni offers view on why Douglas Luiz doesn’t start for Juve after €50m Aston Villa transfer
“Everyone benefits if a player understands him, mainly because Douglas Luiz’s quality and international relevance aren’t questioned.”
Thiago Motta surprisingly gave senior debuts to academy products Samuel Mbangula and Nicolò Savona in the opening game of the season against Como and both have already found the net this term.
Juventus made several other signings during the summer transfer window, including Teun Koopmeiners, Nico Gonzalez and Francisco Conceiçao in the final week of negotiations.
“Giuntoli was the king of the transfer window, and in the last few days, he raised the team’s quality,” argued Toni.
“Now, it’s up to Thiago Motta to shape the team and bring results. Regardless of everything, what matters at Juventus is to win.”
Vlahovic scored three goals in two appearances, bagging a brace against Verona, so Toni was asked how many goals the Serbia international could score this season.
“We are just at the beginning, but the early signs are promising,” said the former Italy international.
“He scored two goals and had even more chances. With less bad luck he would have scored more. Juventus will play many games, participating in five competitions and I am convinced that Dusan can score 30 goals.”