Why Djalo still hasn’t played for Juventus three months after official unveiling

Juventus’ sole January signing Tiago Djalo is still yet to make his debut for the club almost three and a half months after his signing, and according to recent reports, the Bianconeri could be prepared to let him leave on loan for the 2024-25 campaign.

The 24-year-old Portuguese centre-back joined Juve from Lille mid-way through January, in a deal that cost the Old Lady around €3.6m up front, plus up to €3.1m in additional bonuses.

His contract in France had been due to expire at the end of the 2023-24 season, which is when Inter had considered signing him on a free transfer, before his switch to Juventus.

Why has Djalo not played for Juventus yet?

Djalo signed for Juventus off the back of a serious injury to his cruciate ligament in March of 2023. He did pass a medical and declared himself ready to go at the time of his unveiling in Turin.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, there are a few other reasons for Djalo’s omission from Max Allegri’s Juventus line-ups.

He reportedly moved to the club later than had been originally expected, which meant that his place in the Juventus hierarchy took a bit of a knock. La Gazzetta also suggest that Allegri has been reluctant to field a new defender, who is still in a relatively new environment, and may not have yet adapted to a new system, during the Serie A run-in.

Djalo still has a contract with Juventus until the summer of 2026, and there is also reportedly a clause in his deal that could see the agreement extended by a further two years.

However, in the more immediate future, Tuesday’s reports indicate that Djalo could be made available for a loan move ahead of the 2024-25 season.