With growing reports claiming the end is near, Juventus fans are left to wonder who would replace Thiago Motta in case of a mid-season sacking.
The Bianconeri have been largely disappointing since the start of the season, but a managerial change in the middle of the campaign was considered improbable, at least before the abysmal events witnessed in previous weeks.
The team was knocked out of the Champions League at the hands of PSV Eindhoven, before suffering a humiliating elimination from the Coppa Italia after failing to beat Empoli. On Sunday, the club endured its biggest home defeat since 1967 as they were pummelled by four goals to nil at the hands of Atalanta.
Therefore, some sources in the Italian media believe the club will wield the axe on Motta’s tenure in case they end up suffering a defeat against Fiorentina at the Artemio Franchi this Sunday.
So who would be the favourite to take over the club between now and the end of the season?
According to Tuttosport, Francisco Magnanelli would be the ultimate choice for the caretaker role.
The 40-year-old spent the bulk of his playing career at Sassuolo before hanging up his boots in 2022. He spent a year with the club’s technical staff before being poached by Juventus who added him to Max Allegri’s staff as a technical collaborator. The Italian was often seen running training sessions during the Tuscan’s final season at Continassa.
With Allegri gone at the end of last season, Magnanelli was put in charge of the club’s U20 team (the Primavera), acting as a head coach, with Simone Padoin as his assistant.
While others had suggested Juventus Next Gen coach Massimo Brambilla as a possible candidate for the role, the Turin-based newspaper believes the club doesn’t want to jeopardize the brilliant revival the latter sparked following his mid-season return, so he’s likely to be kept in his place and make sue the Next Gen finish as high as possible in the Serie C table.
