The new managing director of Juventus has confirmed that Igor Tudor will also be head coach next season. There had been uncertainty about the Croatian coach’s future at Teun Koopmeiners’s club after persistent rumors that he would be replaced.
Damien Comolli, Juventus’s newly appointed managing director, used his first press conference in Turin on Tuesday to bring clarity to months of speculation surrounding the Old Lady’s dugout.
After opening with a note of gratitude for the trust placed in him by the club’s board, Comolli moved swiftly to settle the question on everyone’s lips: Igor Tudor will remain at the helm of Juventus for the 2025/2026 season, with his contract now assured through June 2026.
Comolli opened by emphasising the unity at the heart of the club’s leadership. He spoke without any hint of reservation of a shared vision between himself and Tudor. Juventus’s hierarchy, he said, values the Croatian coach’s blend of tactical intelligence, physical intensity and man-management skills, qualities that have already shone through since Tudor took charge in November. By publicly reaffirming Tudor’s status, Comolli aimed to draw a line under endless rumours and allow both coach and players to focus solely on preparing for next season.
Recalling their first encounter, Comolli recounted meeting Tudor in France, when he was sporting director at Toulouse and Tudor was leading Olympique Marseille in Ligue 1. “I was struck by the way his teams trained and played,” Comolli explained. “Their energy, their pressing, the way they never gave an inch those qualities are exactly what Juventus needs right now.” That mutual respect, built years before their Juventus collaboration, laid the groundwork for a partnership Comolli believes can restore the club’s place atop Italian and European football.
The decision to commit to Tudor follows a season of contrasts. On the pitch, Juventus secured a return to the Champions League by finishing third in Serie A, demonstrating defensive solidity in spite of occasional stutters. Under Tudor’s guidance, the team conceded fewer goals than in previous campaigns, and a series of clean sheets against top-six rivals underscored the impact of his high-intensity, organised approach. Off it, whispers grew louder that the board was considering alternatives, especially after Juventus fell short in the Coppa Italia final and failed to progress beyond the last 16 of the Champions League.
That speculation intensified after the final match of the Serie A season, when Tudor himself hinted that he felt pressure mounting. Reports linked the club with Antonio Conte fresh from winning the Scudetto at Napoli only for Conte publicly to deny any approach and to confirm his intention to stay at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. Tudor’s agent then moved to calm the situation, insisting that his client would not push for a hasty decision. Yet for many supporters, the story of a coach waiting on an offer became a distraction from the crucial work of squad building and pre-season planning.
Comolli’s intervention puts an end to all that. In a carefully worded statement, he praised Tudor’s role in blending experienced figures like Leonardo Bonucci and Wojciech Szczęsny with emerging talents such as Samuel Iling-Junior and Niccolò Fagioli. He highlighted how Tudor’s emphasis on physical conditioning turned Juventus into one of the fittest teams in Serie A a factor that helped them grind out results during the congested winter schedule, including a run of eight wins in nine matches.
Beyond the immediate season, the managing director painted a picture of long-term ambition. Juventus plans to invest in youth, infrastructure and data-driven scouting, with Tudor at the centre of that vision. “He’s not just a coach for one campaign,” Comolli said. “He’s a builder of futures, a leader who can nurture young players and guide the first team. That continuity is vital if we are to challenge Milan, Inter and the very best in Europe.”
Supporters welcomed the news with relief. Social media quickly filled with messages of support for Tudor, celebrating the end of endless conjecture and looking ahead to a summer of targeted signings. Juventus now faces the task of reinforcing its squad, with Comolli expected to back the coach in acquiring at least two defenders, a midfielder capable of dictating play and a versatile forward to complement Vlahović and Di María.
In closing the press conference, Comolli paid tribute to fans’ patience and optimism. “Juventus is built on history, on legends who have worn this shirt,” he noted. “We owe it to them and to the next generation to give Igor Tudor our full backing. Together, we will restore Juventus to where it belongs: competing at the very top, every season.”
