Article by Mihai Șovei – Published Friday, February 20, 2026, 10:09 / Updated Friday, February 20, 2026 10:09
At least six footballers from Juventus they are not part of the plans of Luciano Spalletti (66 years old) for next season, in case the technician will remain on the bench of the Turin team, according to the Italian media.
The Juventus coach has already identified the players who will not be included in his project for the 2026/27 season, and among them are Lois Openda, Juan Cabal or Federico Gatti. The coach's decision would have come after the humiliating failure in the Champions League, 2-5 at Galatasaray's ground.
Six Juventus players are on Spalletti's 'blacklist'
Lois Openda certainly disappointed Spalletti, with the Belgian playing just 87 minutes in eight games in 2026. Although Dusan Vlahovic and Jonathan David were injured for Tuesday's game against Galatasaray, Spalletti preferred to use Weston McKennie as a centre-forward instead of relying on Openda, according to gazzetta.it.
Juan Cabal he also had an extremely poor performance in Istanbul, and according to the aforementioned source, the Colombia international is having serious difficulties adapting to Spalletti's style of play, especially in the build-up phase in defence. Federico Gatti he also struggled in Istanbul after coming off the bench and is expected to be a substitute again next season if he stays in Turin.
The goalkeeper Michele DiGregorio is also the target of criticism after Juventus conceded 13 goals in their last four games. Meanwhile, Vasilije Adzic and Edon Zhegrova I've been getting less and less game time for the last few weeks.
Openda, one of the players put by Spalletti on the “black list” / Imago Images
All of these players are not expected to be part of Spalletti's future plans if he remains in Turin next season. Spalletti's contract with the club at the “Allianz Stadium” expires in June, but club officials do not rule out the possibility of keeping him for longer if they qualify the team for the Champions League.
Almost eliminated from the Champions League, Juventus is going through a difficult period in the championship as well. The “old lady” is in 5th place in Serie A, 15 points behind leaders Inter.
