Even after Randal Kolo Muani's dreadful display against Sassuolo, Luciano Spalletti has stayed on board with the French striker: "We need to play more through Kolo Muani. When the opponents go man-to-man, you play into the centre-forward, get him to hold it up and then offer support. Instead, we did it only a few times, although in some cases he has to be more ruthless, that is true". Spalletti has little choice, and he cannot say anything else. Along with Nick Woltemade, Kolo Muani is one of only two central strikers in the Juventus squad, excluding Arek Milik (left out of the UEFA and Serie A lists), and the manager certainly cannot throw him under the bus in September, aside from the barb after the match against Frosinone.
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Kolo Muani, that lost ball and a €50 million obsession that does not score: against NEC and Atalanta, the last chances
That lost ball
Against Sassuolo, Kolo Muani was anonymous in every phase of play: in finding space, in his touch, and in front of goal. He did not attempt a single shot and, when the chance finally came, in the 94th minute, instead of shooting he stubbornly persisted with an ill-fated dribble in the box, losing the ball that sparked Sassuolo’s 3-2 goal, scored (reluctantly) by former Juventus man Adzic, and making tempers flare right across the Juventus camp, from the manager to the fans.
Spalletti's choices
Spalletti is still defending Kolo Muani publicly, and as he said, he can hardly do otherwise. In practice, though, there is no doubt the Certaldo-born manager is weighing up every option available to him, because Thursday's Europa League clash with NEC Nijmegen and, above all, Sunday's league meeting with Atalanta already look like a major turning point in Juventus's season. Across the next two matches, Kolo Muani will certainly still have time and opportunities to play and finally find the net, having yet to score this season. What remains to be seen is whether he will do so both times as a starter, or from the bench. Whether he will do so as a lone striker or alongside Woltemade and, in that case, whether he will play further forward with the German just behind him, or whether it will be the other way round. Either way, the chances for the former Tottenham man will be limited, and every minute on the pitch from now on will be crucial.
A low-profile obsession
Broaden the discussion around Kolo Muani and, given his current form, it is still hard to understand why three Juventus executives, at different times, went after the 1998-born forward so relentlessly. First Giuntoli, who brought him in on loan in January 2025, then Comolli, who pursued him in vain throughout the summer of 2025, and finally Carnevali, who after long negotiations in the summer of 2026 signed him on a permanent deal for the hefty fee of 38 million fixed plus 12 in bonuses.
"We cannot think that Juventus have become a club of a lower level than they are. We are in a cycle, there will be difficulties and also chances to return to the top," Juventus chief executive Giovanni Carnevali said yesterday. That only strengthens the sense that the call to keep backing Kolo Muani comes entirely from a Juve side still struggling to climb back above a level that falls short of its own history. Juventus once had the pull to sign, for example, France's best players in every position, from Platini to Zidane, with Deschamps, Trezeguet, Lilian Thuram, Vieira and Pogba in between. Now the Old Lady need a year to bring Kolo Muani back to Turin, a player who was not called up for the World Cup and who is not, at least, among the ten strongest French forwards right now.
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