Juventus urged to sign a striker in January as scoring problems mount

What happened

Juventus need to resolve their centre-forward problem in the January transfer window if they are to recover ground in the second half of the season, according to a Corriere dello Sport commentary published on 10 November 2026. The newspaper argued that without a genuine striker the team will go nowhere, not even in the Conference League, pointing to a league table it described as merciless.

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The paper's analysis of the scoring numbers was stark. Roma had scored more than double Juventus's total, 31 goals to 15, while Inter had 13 more, Lazio 10 more, Frosinone nine more and Milan eight more. Even Monza, third from bottom, had been more prolific with 17. Juventus's leading scorer was named as Gleison Bremer, a defender, which the newspaper said underlined the need for January intervention to avoid repeating a cycle of waste and regret.

Much of the commentary concerned Randal Kolo Muani, whose role the paper said had been resolved after almost three months. It judged him ineffective as a static centre-forward but at his best as a wide attacker on either flank, particularly when able to exploit counter-attacks with space ahead rather than operating in tight areas. The paper noted he had not yet been tested in that role against a low block, so the evidence remained incomplete, but treated the matches against Alkmaar and Fiorentina as a kind of tactical stamp of approval. It added that he had still not justified the summer outlay but was at least now useful to the cause.

The commentary questioned the attacking options available to Luciano Spalletti. It said Nick Woltemade is anything but a finisher: he plays centrally but that is not his natural vocation, he is two metres tall yet uncomfortable in the air, and above all he lacks a poacher's instinct. Ekhator, just back from injury, was described as a promising young player with physical presence but without the standing to be the main offensive reference for an ambitious club. Alajbegovic and Conceicao were both classified as wide players, and Yildiz was called the only real problem-solver but unsuited to playing as the central striker.

The paper said Spalletti's side lacks a defined playing identity and does not dazzle, yet creates plenty of chances in its often disordered play; the core problem is that it fails to convert them. It recalled that the coach had asked for a striker with specific technical characteristics but received Woltemade after Ekhator. It also noted that Juventus had had a centre-forward at home in Dusan Vlahovic, allowed to leave for reasons of principle as well as money, alongside David and Openda, described as Comolli's gifts. The newspaper imagined it would not be easy to find someone while spending as little as possible and giving Lucio a reinforcement rather than a stopgap.