Thiago Motta is set to join Juventus after his imminent departure from Bologna. The Emilia-Romagna side revealed on Thursday that the former midfielder has refused to sign a new contract with the club. Motta previously joined Bologna as their head coach in the fall of 2022. Despite disappointing spells at Genoa and Spezia, the coach worked wonders during his time at Bologna.
Motta previously joined his soon-to-be former club just five matches into the 2022/23 season. The club sat 16th in the Serie A standings at the time, but the new coach quickly turned things around. Bologna ended up finishing ninth in the final table. Motta then guided I Rossoblù to a Champions League qualification place during the current campaign. Bologna will feature in the top European competition next season for the first time in 59 years.
“In the past two years, I have got to know a well-prepared and winning coach,” Bologna president Joey Saputo said in a statement. “He has instilled a brilliant style of play in this time. Reaching the Champions League means he and all these players will go down in our club’s history. I would have liked him to stay at Bologna but I can only ever thank him and his staff for these amazing two seasons and I wish him the best for the future.”
Juve was in the market for a new manager after recently firing Max Allegri. The combative coach was sacked last week after a meltdown during the Coppa Italia final. The Old Lady went on to win the trophy against Atalanta on the night, but not before Allegri was sent off for an epic rant aimed at the referees.
Almost immediately after firing Allegri, Juve was quickly linked with a move for Motta. Interestingly enough, Bologna faced the Old Lady on Monday as Motta was deciding where he will coach next season. The two teams eventually played out to a thrilling 3-3 draw, as Juve grabbed a point after being down 3-0 with only 15 minutes left in the match.
Transfer guru Fabrizio Romano is claiming that Juve and Motta now have a full agreement in place. The 41-year-old coach is set to join the Italian giants on a three-year contract. An official announcement regarding the deal is expected to be revealed in the coming days.
Motta will bring an organized and patient approach to Juve. With the former midfield star at the helm, Bologna deployed a possession-based style by building from the back. Only Napoli attempted more passes than Motta’s current club in league play. Although they have played a ton of passes this season, not many were long, direct balls. Bologna is leading Serie A in passes under 15 yards, while they are 17th in attempted long balls.
This patience with the ball allows the players to wait to make the right pass. In turn, it also keeps the ball away from their opponents. Bologna goalkeepers have only had to face an average of 10.6 total shots per game. Only three other Italian top-flight teams have conceded fewer shots in the league.
Bologna still, however, has one more match remaining on their 2023/24 schedule. The club is set to face Genoa, one of Motta’s former teams, on Friday, May 24. While Italy may have up to six total clubs in next season’s Champions League, Bologna needs a positive result in their last game to finish above Juve in the final standings.
PHOTOS: IMAGO
