Juventus to Switch Roles to Two Struggling Midfielders | OneFootball

Revitalizing Teun Koopmeiners after a very paltry season is one of the first points on the agenda of Juventus coach Igor Tudor. The boss is ready to move him to a more defensive role to try to get him going, La Gazzetta dello Sport reports.

After starring for most of the past campaign as a no.10, the Dutchman is slated to operate a few meters back, joining Manuel Locatelli, Khephren Thuram, and Weston McKennie. Conversely, the Croatian manager likes Douglas Luiz better in a more aggressive position, given his knack for scoring. He has featured as Kenan Yildiz’s deputy during the friendlies.

Unlike other players who have struggled last year, Juventus didn’t contemplate cutting bait on Teun Koopmeiners this window. They surely expected more after paying €51M plus add-ons after a long saga with Atalanta. He notched just 5 goals and 3 assists and dealt with a debilitating Achilles injury.

The decision by Tudor will affect the transfer market strategy. The Old Lady might no longer try to make a splash for one of their preferred targets, Sandro Tonali or Morten Hjulmand. Instead, in the event of some exits, they’ll plug the hole with an affordable addition or a loanee. The top candidates are Matt O’Riley, Yves Bissouma, Sofyan Amrabat, and Franck Kessié.

Our Take on Juventus, Koopmeiners, and Douglas Luiz

It doesn’t hurt to try, but he primarily needs to get out of his mental rut. They’ll most likely be flexible throughout the season. In reality, their main marks are simply too expensive. It doesn’t seem that their management has been given the liberty to spend that much on any single deal.