All winter transfer window long, Juventus have been seeking three areas to address when it comes to adding some depth for Luciano Spalletti: winger, fullback and, if possible, a striker of a different
profile to those currently on the roster.
Juventus got one out of the way with the arrival of Jérémie Boga on loan. And now, the same can be said about the fullback position, while at the same time seeing a player that Spalletti has barely used since his arrival three months ago has gone the other way to free up a roster spot.
As the hours ticked down to the end of the winter transfer window on Monday, Juventus announced a Deadline Day deal where they have signed Bologna fullback Emil Holm on loan with an a very affordable option to buy come the end of the 2025-26 season. In a move unofficially attached to the arrival of Holm, Juventus also announced it has sent fullback/wingback Joao Mario — who has started only two games in Serie A since arriving from Porto over the summer — the other direction to Bologna in a six-month loan deal that won’t have any sort of buy option attached to it as is the case with Holm.
The option to make Holm’s move to Turin over the summer will cost the Bianconeri €15 million plus another €3 million in potential bonuses. He would then reportedly sign a four-year contract through 2030 with a salary of around €1.2 million net.
Here are the details of the Holm deal, courtesy of Juventus’ press office:
Turin, 2 February 2026 – Juventus Football Club S.p.A. announces that an agreement with Bologna FC 1909 has been reached for the temporary acquisition, on a free loan basis, until 30 June 2026, of the registration rights of the player Emil Alfons Holm.
The agreement further entails the right for Juventus to definitively acquire the player’s registration rights. The agreed consideration for the potential definitive acquisition is € 15 million, payable in three financial years; this consideration may be increased up to a maximum of € 3 million over the duration of the player’s contract, upon the achievement of specific objectives.
We could talk about what Joao Mario has done with Juventus since being part of the summer swap deal with Porto that also involved Alberto Costa going back to Portugal after just sixth months, but it’s hard to truly say that he did much of anything considering both Igor Tudor and then Spalletti barely played him at all. It became clear as time went on under both managers that neither of them felt confident in utilizing a fullback/wingback who struggled to adapt to Italian football on both ends of the field, especially in the defensive phase.
That’s why bringing in the 25-year-old Holm feels like a step in the right direction. He already knows Serie A and has proven that he can be a solid option at right back for a team that is competing for Europe. Holm has experience in Italy’s top flight with Spezia, Atalanta and Bologna, with his move to Vincenzo Italiano’s squad taking place in 2024.
This season for Bologna, Holm has appeared in 19 games, making 14 starts and playing a total of 1,270 minutes. He has scored one goal and recorded five assists, four of which coming in his 11 appearances in Serie A.
Let’s also remember what Holm did in one of his last visits to the San Siro and played against Inter …
Yeah, that’ll play just fine. If he wants to do that again against Inter in a couple of weeks, that is good with us.
