Juventus set to sack coach Thiago Motta: reports
According to sports daily La Gazzetta dello Sport and Sky Sport television, 42-year-old Motta will be replaced by former Juventus player Igor Tudor.
The Croatian will then be tasked with securing fourth place in Serie A, the last qualifying place for the Champions League, which is crucial for Juventus' fragile finances.
Juventus currently sit a disappointing fifth place in the league with just nine matches left to play.
According to the Italian press, Juventus could announce Motta's departure and Tudor's arrival on Sunday.
When contacted by AFP, the club declined to comment.
Following an excellent 2023-24 season at the helm of Bologna, Motta arrived at Juventus to much fanfare last July, but results on the pitch since then have dampened the enthusiasm of the club's fans and directors alike.
Under the Brazilian-Italian coach, Juventus have played 42 matches in all competitions, winning 18, drawing 16 and losing eight.
Last month, they were knocked out of both the Champions League and the Italian Cup, which they had won in 2024, by PSV Eindhoven and Empoli, respectively.
The two most recent matches under Motta were a 4-0 hammering at the hands of title contenders Atalanta -- their heaviest home loss since 1967 -- and a 3-0 defeat at eighth-placed Fiorentina.
jr/cpb/nf/bsp
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Julia Zigiotti Olme's words will be music to Man United fans' ears
Manchester United Women's latest signing Julia Zigiotti Olme has set out some lofty ambitions for her time at the Leigh Sports Village. Wealth of experience The Red Devils completed a deal for the midfielder a couple of days ago after finalising an agreement with Bayern Munich. The defensive midfielder has Champions League experience at Bayern and has also played three seasons in England with Brighton and Hove Albion. The Swede has represented her country 48 times, including at this summer's Euro 2025. She certainly brings a winner's mentality, having been crowned a champion of the Frauen-Bundesliga and also the DFB-Pokal last season during her time in Bavaria. The 27-year-old sat down with the club website after her move and she has had some exciting words for fans of the club. Big ambitions When asked on what she wanted to achieve this season she boldly claimed, 'win the WSL.' Elaborating further she added, 'I want to help this team to go [to the] Champions League, to win the top games, to win the WSL and to help the team get to a better place and work on this project.' The Red Devils finished third last season, four points behind Arsenal and a whopping 16 points behind champions Chelsea. Olme was also clearly excited about returning to England as she waxed lyrical over the quality of the league. She claimed, 'I think that England is the best league there is. There's so many top-class players here, in every team, and the league just keeps growing every year, so I'm very excited to be back and show myself in it.' Describing what type of player she is she added, 'I would say I'm a hard-working midfielder, able to defend and secure the backline. But I also like to set up players and get in good positions on the pitch and be a little controlling there.' Featured i9mage Michael Campanella via Getty Images online polls Follow us on Bluesky: @
Yahoo
25 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Are Celtic ready for fight on all fronts?
With Celtic about to begin the defence of their Scottish title and facing a crunch Champions League qualifying play-off, just how equipped are they to build on recent success and progress again this season? Recruitment, aligned to key departures, has been a central theme of Celtic supporter conversation of late, with apparent concern that the squad is lacking in a number of areas echoed by manager Brendan Rodgers saying on Friday that there are "gaps in the squad that are very clear". There is still a long way to go in the transfer window, but with the expectation of a stronger title challenge from Rangers and a clear desire for continued participation at European football's top table, are Celtic ready to take on the immediate challenges ahead? Rodgers targeted improvement in Europe as a key aim on his return to the club and got that last season, pushing Bayern Munich in the Champions League play-off stage to narrowly miss out on a last-16 spot. Participation on that stage this season will be determined by a play-off in just under a month, and missing out would be a significant setback. With just one year left on Rodgers' three-year contract, what happens over the coming weeks may go a long way to determining if he believes he can continue such progression. Indeed, despite saying he is "very happy" at Celtic, the 52-year-old Northern Irishman stressed he is "not the type of manager" to stick around if a club is merely treading water and that there was "no update" on a new contract. Scottish Premiership returns - all you need to know How is your Premiership club shaping up for new season? Man City's Simpson-Pusey close to Celtic loan deal Tale of two Rodgers tenures With Rodgers entering a third season in charge of Celtic for the second time, it has been almost undiluted domestic success across both spells. Two domestic trebles in his first two seasons came alongside challenging Champions League campaigns. League Cup victory in 2018 meant a seventh straight domestic trophy, but a perceived frustration that he had hit a ceiling with Celtic and the lure of the English Premier League sparked fury among a previously adoring support as Rodgers left for Leicester City. His return four years later was met with a lukewarm response. He stated he would be there for the full three-year contract and quickly started winning trophies again to win over the support. He has won two league and cup doubles in two seasons, but it is the clear improvement at Champions League level that showcases Celtic's progression under Rodgers. For that to continue, he has repeatedly stressed the need for quality additions to his squad. That need has become acute with the exit of Nicolas Khun, the long-term injury to fellow winger Jota and the lack of a direct replacement for Kyogo Furuhashi since the Japan forward left in January. The question is whether Celtic's recruitment ambitions match Rodgers' desire to continue driving the club forward and what that means moving forwards? Reluctance to spend a fair accusation as Celtic seek quality? Rodgers has repeatedly used the word "quality" when describing what his squad needs. He's also been clear that he wants more firepower and is short on natural wingers. Scotland defender Kieran Tierney's return adds undoubted talent and Sweden winger Benjamin Nygren appears to be good business on early evidence. Other new faces appear to be mainly for development. What is clear is a significant section of the Celtic support feel a reluctance to spend significant sums is putting not only European ambitions at risk but also their domestic dominance. Is that fair? FThe former Celtic midfielder Scott Allan understands fan frustration but points to the return of Tierney on a free transfer as an example that is being somewhat overlooked. "The fact that they were able to get Tierney on the free papers over the fact that he's a player of immense quality," he told BBC Scotland. "The only concerning thing is the fact that Brendan Rodgers actually spoke about players coming in and not necessarily getting in as starters. "I think Celtic fans are looking at players who can come in and affect the team now and that's where the concern is growing from." Long-term transfer strategy paid off, but should Celtic bow to fan demands? Celtic's long-term transfer strategy has delivered time and time again and must be the envy of many clubs. Huge profit has been brought in for the likes of Matt O'Riley, Jota and Kuhn. Celtic spent big last summer on midfielder Arne Engels and striker Adam Idah. With hindsight, some fans feel they may have overpaid, but that view may change over the coming months. A rough estimate of receipts this summer alone suggests a figure of around £20-25m has come in against a spend a fraction of that. A reminder of the first window of Rodgers' second spell is notable in terms of fan satisfaction. Celtic recruited widely and supporter reaction at the time seemed overwhelmingly positive. A look through that list of names might provide some caution. Luis Palma, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Kwon Hyeok-kyu, Marco Tilio, Odin Thiago Holm and Maik Nawrocki have all failed to make the grade after an outlay of close to £15m. Caution and care over fees may bear more fruit than the examples above. How will Rodgers feel right now? Rodgers has repeatedly indicated that he expects his squad to be stronger come the end of August and there is likely to be movement in the coming days and weeks. The question is whether that will be enough to satisfy him and a support desperate to enjoy continued domestic success and see their team build on a successful Champions League campaign last term, with that play-off hurdle crucial. "I can totally understand his Rodgers' frustration," Allan said. "He spoke after the Bayern Munich exit about evolving every year. That was probably looking ahead to this window. "There were a lot of questions asked when Kyogo left. Daizen Maeda did a job as number nine, but I think there's no question Brendan Rodgers prefers him on the wing. "He's wanting to evolve the team, he's wanting to go longer in Europe and that comes down to getting quality in." In Rodgers' own words, Celtic have work to do in this window with significant challenges coming over the horizon. Visit our Celtic page for all the latest news, analysis and fan views Get Celtic news notifications in the BBC Sport app
Yahoo
32 minutes ago
- Yahoo
'Recent contacts'- Journalist reveals Chelsea ace Newcastle have made contact with, it's not Jackson
Newcastle have made contact with Axel Disasi recently and the Frenchman is on their recruitment list according to journalist Sacha Tavolieri. Disasi is one of a number of players the Blues are looking to move on this summer, and he spent the second half of last season on loan at Aston Villa. The 27-year-old made ten appearances in all competitions as Unai Emery's side missed out on Champions League football on the final day of the season. Newcastle make contact with Axel Disasi Disasi had a good debut season under Mauricio Pochettino having joined in a deal worth around £39m From Monaco in the summer of 2023. However, it was evident pretty quickly he wasn't going to be a major part of the plans under Enzo Maresca, and made just six Premier League appearances over the first half of the season, with three as starts. The loan spell at Villa wasn't the best and it appears they won't be signing the defender permanently, with it thought Disasi wants to remain in the Premier League. Aston Villa are unlikely to sign Disasi permanently. (Photo by) Chelsea are thought to value Disasi at €35m, and the likes of Villarreal and Juventus have been linked, whilst in the Premier League Newcastle are said to have shown interest. It was reported earlier this summer the Magpies were leading the race for Disasi, and Tavolieri has provided an update. He took to and said: 'After resolving the tricky striker situation with Sesko/Wissa & Alexander Isak, Newcastle United is now planning to sign a central defender! 'Recent contacts have taken place with Axel Disasi, and the Frenchman is included on the Magpies' recruitment list. More info soon. #NUFC #CFC' Chelsea still trying to sell Veiga Disasi isn't the only defender set to leave Chelsea this summer, with the Blues are also trying to offload Renato Veiga despite only signing him last summer. Veiga spent the second half of last season on loan at Juventus, and Chelsea are said to have set their asking price at €40m. More Stories / Latest News 'Recent contacts'- Journalist reveals Chelsea ace Newcastle have made contact with, it's not Jackson 2nd Aug 2025, 07:45am Fabrizio Romano reveals 'clear message' Xavi Simons sent RB Leipzig amid Chelsea negotiations 2nd Aug 2025, 07:15am 'It's over' – Fabrizio Romano gives shock 'here we go' for Chelsea ace 2nd Aug 2025, 06:45am Atletico Madrid were close to finalising a move for Veiga, but they decided he was too expensive and signed David Hancko from Feyenoord instead. Veiga is believed to have interest from Bayern Munich, but as of yet the German giants are yet to make an official offer.
