Once again, Giorgio Chiellini and not manager Luciano Spalleti, took the microphone following a big night for Juventus. The first time was a couple of weeks ago against Inter Milan when Chiellini was seething about the red card to Pierre Kalulu and subsequent last-minute loss to the Serie A leaders. This time, it was following a night in which Juve, again down to 10 men due to a questionable sending off, went down swinging to Galatasaray.
So, of course, Chiellini was asked about the future.
Namely
Spalleti’s future despite the fact that European football has come to an end for the current campaign.
Chiellini told Sky Italia following Wednesday night’s Champions League elimination at the hands of Galatasaray that Juventus, without a doubt, want to continue with Spalletti beyond the completion of the 2025-26 season. That is not a surprise considering it’s something that Chiellini and others at the club have been saying for a good amount of time now, and the fact that they are now out of Europe’s premier club competition at a stage in which they were ousted last season hasn’t changed that as they seek some sort of stability at the managerial position.
When Spalletti arrived, he only signed a contract through the end of the season. His deal reportedly has an obligation that will kick in if Juventus are to qualify for the Champions League next season, but Chiellini has previously said that they will try and get a contract done with the 66-year-old Spalletti no matter what.
Spalletti has, understandably, been rather bullish on discussing a potential contract extension considering what has been at stake over the last couple of months. He has said that his performance as manager and the results will be the thing that determines whether a contract extension happens, essentially saying that now is not the time to be peppered about his future when the present is very much at the forefront of his thoughts.
That hasn’t stopped Chiellini from talking about it, though.
Same goes for Juve CEO Damien Comolli, who backed up Chiellini’s statements with further confirmation on Thursday that Spalletti is the man with whom the club wants to roll with next season.
“It is important that we keep the same manager, the same strategy, the same style of play,” Comolli said while speaking at the Financial Times Football Summit. “This club has had six, seven, eight different coaches over two or three years. The team is finding its identity under Luciano Spalletti. Continuity, in alignment, in style, in the players who are showing their quality, is probably what we need if we want to succeed.”
Chiellini saying that there’s “no doubt” Juve want to continue with Spalletti, in a way, puts the ball back in his court. If Spalletti wants to be Juventus’ manager beyond the completion of the 2025-26 season, then he will be. If something happens over the next 2 1/2 months that changes how Spalletti feels about the job, then that’s where things get tricky. But when it comes to how Chiellini and Comolli feel, Spalletti is their guy and you aren’t going to tell them otherwise.
