Spalletti believes Juventus players need to perform after Agnellis rejected a buyout offer
Luciano Spalletti, the manager of Juventus, praised John Elkann and the Agnelli family for their choice to keep their majority ownership of the Serie A team and stated that it was now up to the football team to create a better future.
The crypto business Tether made an all-cash bid to purchase the Agnelli family’s holding company Exor’s full share in Italy’s most successful club, but Exor turned it down on Saturday.
“Juve has been a part of my family for 102 years,” Elkann, the CEO of Exor, stated in a video featuring on Juventus’ website.
With millions of supporters in Italy and abroad, Juventus is a part of the Bianconeri family, a much, much larger family that loves the team as much as you love your loved ones.
“It is with this passion in mind, with this love story that has united us for more than a century, that as a family we continue to support our team and look to the future to build a winning Juve.”
After winning the final of their 36 top-flight championships in 2020—their ninth straight Scudetto—Juventus has since struggled to seriously contend for the Scudetto, falling behind teams like Inter, AC Milan, and Napoli.
Spalletti became the club’s fifth manager since its most recent triumph at the end of October, but with Juventus currently in seventh place in the rankings and eight points behind champions Milan, there is little indication that things will improve.
“Even though I’ve only been here a short time, I think I can include the whole squad in this conversation,” Spalletti stated at a press conference prior to the Bologna match on Sunday.
“Hearing about John Elkann and the family’s tenacity and enthusiasm for this club is satisfying once more.
“It’s clear that it’s up to us to give substance and solidity to that passion, by honouring the past and building a future at the same level, or even better.”
Spalletti has a contract that expires at the end of the current campaign, and if the championship seems to be slipping away, earning a spot in the Champions League the next season would probably be the bare minimum needed to earn an extension.
Juventus has lost two of their last five league games since Spalletti took over, but the manager would not accept that his team was not capable of turning things around.
“I will not be persuaded that these players are not talented by anyone. Conversely, I’m confident that we will get past these obstacles,” Spalletti remarked.
“I believe in this position, which is why I took it. Having worked in this field for many years, I am aware of how difficult it is. I’m completely enamored with the notion that I can transform and enhance this group.
Bologna is two points ahead of Juventus in fifth position.
