The Juventus brass and Luciano Spalletti didn’t delve into the plans for January during the talks ahead of his appointment, but the coaching change is going to impact the strategy. The Bianconeri have been looking for a proper ‘regista’ for quite some time. The arrival of the Tuscan gaffer will only amplify such a need, TuttoSport informs.

The ex-Italy boss is used to having a deep-lying midfielder running his teams, for instance, David Pizarro at Udinese and Roma, Leandro Paredes with the Giallorossi, Marcelo Brozovic at Inter, and Stanislav Lobotka at Napoli.

Juventus don’t have that kind of player as of now, and Spalletti will have to make do with Manuel Locatelli and Teun Koopmeiners. While luring Sandro Tonali was always going to be a long shot, the Old Lady made a few attempts for Morten Hjulmand. Sporting CP held firm on the activation of his €80M release clause. Perhaps they have had a shot by bidding as much as they did for Lois Openda, €45M. The deal never gained too much traction.

The alternatives are Lille starlet Ayyoub Bouaddi, who’s worth at least €30M, and RB Leipzig linchpin Xaver Schlager, who’s a veteran. The Bianconeri could also try to land a right-back, as Joao Mario hasn’t panned out. Genoa’s Brooke Norton-Cuffy remains top of the list.

Our Take on Juventus Under Spalletti

A quality midfielder is a priority regardless, but it’ll be interesting to see which scheme the coach will lean on the most. He has gotten versatile during his time with Italy, employing a three-man line, after using either 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 with his clubs. Their present squad is right on the cusp between flexibility and utter confusion.