Born in Naples on 10/03/88, graduated in Philosophy and Politics at the Oriental University of Naples. He has been working for TMW since 2008, he was deputy director for 10 years. Correspondent following the National Team
It’s been four years since Dusan Vlahovic’s start to the season was so poor in terms of goals scored. Season 2020/21, the Serbian centre forward then at Fiorentina in the first five matchdays of the championship scored only one goal. His career was still in its infancy, the starting position not yet fully conquered: with Iachini on the bench the Serbian centre forward came off the bench in the first two matchdays and then only later became an immovable starter. Especially after the return of Cesare Prandelli.
Four years later, Vlahovic has scored two goals in six games. This time his ownership is not in question, also because with Milik injured there are no alternatives in the squad. And yet despite this, on Saturday afternoon, during the match against Napoli, Thiago Motta called him back to the bench at half-time and deployed Weah in the atypical role of centre-forward. “He played a good game but I wanted to try something different”, a diplomatic Motta will say at the end of the match, who up to now has only spent honeyed words for his centre-forward (and for all the others). Even if he too, like and for now more than Allegri, is clashing with the limits and virtues of a centre-forward who in his time at Fiorentina seemed destined for a career like Haaland. And instead today he is far from it.
Last summer Cristiano Giuntoli tried to understand if there was room for a sale of Dusan Vlahovic. In a transfer market session in which the Juventus manager has cut almost all of the highest-paid players (Rabiot and Alex Sandro, but also Chiesa, Szczesny and Kean), the Serbian striker represents one of the rare exceptions. Not only that: by virtue of the agreements stipulated at the time of his transfer to Turin, since July Vlahovic has become by far the highest-paid player in the squad and also in Serie A: he has another two years of contract worth twelve million euros net per season. With Osimhen having flown to Turkey, there is no one like him, not even Lautaro Martinez who, after his renewal with Inter, is almost making 10 million a year.
For what were his last seasons, for what is his current salary, Giuntoli and Thiago Motta quickly understood that Vlahovic – at certain valuations – was unsellable. In recent months, no one has ever thought of spending 40-50 million euros for his registration and that’s why Juventus has immediately placed him at the center of the new project. A soft, accommodating approach, also to try to reach an agreement to extend and spread out the salary (for now it’s not working).
Without competition, with renewed confidence and a new technical project, Vlahovic should theoretically be in the ideal conditions to return to being that striker who pushed Juventus in January 2022 to spend 80 million euros for his registration. But that is not the case, at least not yet. Not even with Thiago Motta does the situation seem to be improving: in fact, it is getting worse. Two goals against Hellas on August 26 and then nothing, a fast of almost a month. At this time last year and two seasons ago he was at four goals, three years ago against Fiorentina at three.
Numbers that deliver an incontrovertible reality: not even with renewed conditions are we seeing the best Vlahovic. But perhaps, at this point, we should ask ourselves if there really is a better Vlahovic. If the Serbian will ever be a 25-goal-a-season striker.
In this sense, this season will be the one that will give us an answer on his real value. If even in such favorable conditions he will not be able to perform for what he earns, then in the summer, one year before the expiration of his contract, Vlahovic could find himself in a situation similar to the one that this summer involved Federico Chiesa.
Juventus obviously hopes that this will not be the case, that Vlahovic will drag Juve and win the top scorer title. But in the meantime Cristiano Giuntoli for that role is already starting to evaluate possible opportunities for next season. In this sense, the first contacts have already been made for Jonathan David, a Canadian centre-forward whose contract with Lille is expiring. Same age as Vlahovic, five goals so far this season, he is a player that Giuntoli really likes and is a name that can be spent for the future of Juventus.
David could become a new Juventus centre forward next summer, but much will depend on who wears the number 9 shirt today. A player called without further appeals to demonstrate why he was paid 80 million euros and why today he earns 12.