Walter Zenga Critiques Juventus’ Attack After New Signings

Walter Zenga has sounded the alarm over Juventus’ attack, insisting that even after the arrivals of Randal Kolo Muani from PSG and Nick Woltemade from Newcastle United, the Bianconeri still lack a classic centre-forward capable of delivering 15 league goals a season.

Juventus travel to Sassuolo tonight, kicking off at 19.45 UK time (20.45 CEST), with Luciano Spalletti already juggling an injury list that reads like a team sheet. Manuel Locatelli, Jeremie Boga, Weston McKennie, Andrea Cambiaso, Kenan Yildiz, Khephren Thuram, Jeff Ekhator and Juan Cabal are all unavailable, stripping depth and options from a squad still trying to understand its new attacking hierarchy.

Zenga questions Juve’s transfer logic

Reports in Italy suggest Spalletti will start Kolo Muani up front, supported by Kerim Alajbegovic, Nico Gonzalez and Francisco Conceicao. On paper, it looks dynamic. To Walter Zenga, it looks incomplete.

“Kolo Muani is not a Number 9, that kind of hitman who can score 15 goals per season, and neither is Woltemade really,” the former goalkeeper and coach told Sky Sport Italia, cutting straight to the point.

His criticism goes beyond the two new signings. Zenga pointed to the lingering presence of Arek Milik, still on the books despite being out injured for two years, and to the departure that still stings many Juventus supporters.

“To think that Arek Milik has been out injured for two years and is still on the Juve books. Above all, to think that they had a striker like Dusan Vlahovic who left for reasons we don't know, but which are presumably tied to his agent and the contract.

“In theory, Juve had two strikers in the squad there with the potential to score 25-30 goals between them.”

The contrast is stark. From Vlahovic and a fit Milik to a forward line built around movement, versatility and link play rather than a penalty-box predator. Juventus have added talent, but Zenga’s point is simple: who finishes the moves?

Spalletti’s next move

That question may push Spalletti towards a tactical twist. Given the profiles of Kolo Muani and Woltemade, Zenga expects the coach to experiment, to reshape the attack rather than simply plug the newcomers into a traditional No 9 role.

Spalletti has never been afraid to redraw the board. With no obvious 15-goal striker and a mounting injury crisis, tonight in Reggio Emilia could be the first real glimpse of what this new Juventus will look like when necessity forces invention.