The former general manager was close to signing the Napoli coach—who was then locked down by De Laurentiis—and then to the one now at Roma, who, however, turned down the offer partly because he didn’t feel Comolli was fully committed. Now those two teams are in first place, and the Tudor project has failed

They say a good night’s sleep brings clear thinking, and that must have been exactly what happened at Juventus. Around noon, when training was scheduled, the news of Igor Tudor’s dismissal was announced. The irony is that the news of his departure came on the very day that Napoli and Roma are enjoying the top spots in the standings. And at the helm of the two league leaders are Antonio Conte and Gian Piero Gasperini—the very two coaches the club had considered bringing to Turin before opting to retain the former Croatian defender.

Memories and regrets—inevitable—intertwine, giving way to the classic “I wonder what would have happened if…” “What-ifs” get us nowhere, but there’s no doubt that a bit of a bitter aftertaste remains. Especially when seeing how things are going for the Old Lady’s Plan A and Plan B—because that’s what Conte and Gasp were before the shake-up in management. Let’s rewind to the spring, when Thiago Motta’s position was already shaky but he was still in charge. It was during that period that Cristiano Giuntoli, then Juventus’s technical director, first contacted Antonio Conte, who was in the thick of the Scudetto race with Napoli. The initial approach was positive, aided in part by Conte’s track record and Giorgio Chiellini’s endorsement, even though Giuntoli soon realized there was no room to close the deal, because the final say would rest with President Aurelio De Laurentiis, who was unlikely to let go of the coach who was leading them to the Scudetto.

GASP ATTEMPT—  So Giuntoli had taken precautions by approaching Gasperini, who had already informed Atalanta of his desire to leave but hadn’t yet agreed to join Roma at the time. Gasp, a true Turin native who also had a Juventus background (he coached the youth teams), would have gladly joined if presented with a solid project; however, everything was thrown into question in May when Giuntoli was let go and replaced by the all-powerful Damien Comolli. In the meantime, Juventus had brought in Tudor on a part-time basis, with a special contract that allowed the club to terminate his contract by paying a penalty even if the team qualified for the Champions League. Tudor, in turn—tired of the constant speculation about his successor—had threatened to resign. It was Giuntoli who convinced him to stay, perhaps the final act of his tenure.
COMOLLI’S NEW COURSE—  With Comolli’s arrival, strategies have changed. With the Conte dream definitively dashed (as expected, he was firmly held onto by De Laurentiis), the new general manager—who will be named CEO in the coming days—found himself having to resolve the coaching issue immediately. He contacted Gasperini (backed by Chiellini) but without much conviction, especially since the former Atalanta coach was already well into negotiations with Roma. Gasp sensed a lack of enthusiasm on the other end of the line and politely declined, ultimately joining forces with the Giallorossi, who are now enjoying his services. Just as Napoli is enjoying Conte’s second year and dreaming of a sensational repeat Scudetto victory. Juventus, on the other hand, decided to move forward with Tudor, renewing his contract through 2027, but after just a few months, they’ve already changed their minds and are now playing it by ear—eighth in the standings with 12 points and six points behind the leader—and waiting to appoint a new coach just seven months after Thiago Motta’s dismissal.