Twelve months ago, Damien Comolli stepped into the Juventus headquarters as the club’s new CEO, tasked with steadying a ship battered by financial turbulence and on-field inconsistency. Today, as he marks his first anniversary, his tenure is under a glaring microscope—not for steadying the ship, but for steering it dangerously close to the rocks. A catalogue of missteps, from failed managerial appointments to transfer market defeats, has left John Elkann demanding concrete results by the end of June, or Comolli may find himself walking the plank.
The first critical error was the handling of the coaching situation. After securing a Champions League spot in the final hours of the previous season, Juventus needed a clear direction. Antonio Conte, the prodigal son, decisively rejected a return, leaving Comolli scrambling. In a move that still bewilders, the CEO then unraveled weeks of diplomatic work by Giorgio Chiellini, who had almost convinced Gian Piero Gasperini to take over. A brief, reportedly brusque phone call from Comolli sent Gasperini straight into the arms of Roma’s project. Left without a marquee name, Comolli reluctantly confirmed Igor Tudor—not out of conviction, but because alternatives had vanished. Tudor’s reign lasted just eight matchdays, ending after a defeat to Lazio, exposing the lack of planning.
The transfer market was no kinder. Comolli waged a public battle to offload Dusan Vlahovic, only to see the Serbian striker refuse every exit route, determined to leave on a free transfer next summer. Meanwhile, the CEO’s abrasive style cost Juventus a chance to retain Randal Kolo Muani; PSG, irritated by Comolli’s approach, loaned the forward to Tottenham instead. The €43 million acquisition of Loïs Openda, intended as the centerpiece, now looks like an overpriced gamble, while the sale of Alberto Costa and purchase of João Mário raised eyebrows. Even more questionable was the decision to sign Edon Zhegrova, a winger just back from a serious groin injury, whose physical durability was in doubt.
As the winter window approached, coach Luciano Spalletti made one simple plea: a physical striker to lead the line. Comolli chased Youssef En-Nesyri, but the Moroccan’s camp reportedly greeted the approach with something akin to a derisive “raspberry,” leaving Juventus empty-handed. The failed hunt deepened the rift between coach and CEO, despite some fence-mending via the contract renewals of Kenan Yıldız and Weston McKennie—two rare bright spots in an otherwise bleak administration.
The summer transfer window, however, delivered the cruelest blows. Comolli thought he had pulled off coups for Liverpool’s Alisson Becker and Andrew Robertson, but both deals collapsed at the eleventh hour, leaving Spalletti’s squad unbalanced and the coach fuming. The failure to extend Vlahovic’s contract, despite direct involvement from club legend Lucio, only added to the sense of a project in disarray.
Now, John Elkann has set a hard deadline: June 29th, when the transfer market officially opens. Comolli must deliver immediate results—at least two player sales to trim the bloated roster and one significant signing to appease Spalletti. No longer can the CEO point to spreadsheets suggesting “break even” financial projections. The mandate is action, and the clock is ticking.
Comolli’s first year has been a study in how quickly a promising tenure can sour. Each misjudgment—from alienating elite coaches to bungling key transfers—has eroded trust at every level of the club. Juventus, historically impatient with underperforming executives, may soon add another name to its list of short-lived directors. The next three weeks will determine whether Comolli can salvage his job or become a cautionary tale of hubris and haste.
Based on reporting from Tuttosport.