Loïs Openda still refuses to call Juventus a mistake. Even after a year that left more questions than answers.
Now 26 and trying to relaunch himself on loan at Lyon, the Belgium international looked back with L’Equipe on that bruising 2025-26 campaign in Turin – a season of one goal in 34 appearances and a constant battle to fit into a system that never really suited him.
A move made with eyes open
Openda is adamant he knew what he was walking into when he left RB Leipzig for Juventus.
“I knew exactly what I was getting into,” he said, stressing that the decision was calculated, not impulsive. He had spoken at length with Damien Comolli, then a club director, before making the jump.
“I spoke with Damien Comolli, who was then the club director, and he explained how he intended to use me in a difficult league.”
The pitch was clear: Serie A, tactical, unforgiving, but a place where his pace in behind could be a weapon if deployed correctly.
Only, once he arrived, the reality of Italian football hit him.
“In Italy, the team that really exploits depth is Inter. Roma are only just starting to understand it.”
For a striker who thrives on running into space, it was a stark diagnosis. The league, and more importantly his new team, did not naturally play to his strengths.
Stuck behind Vlahovic and David
The competition for places was brutal. Juventus already had Dusan Vlahovic and Jonathan David operating in his zone of the pitch.
“The coach wanted me, but Vlahovic and David were already playing in my position,” Openda explained.
He found a natural understanding with David.
“I had good chemistry with David,” he admitted, a small bright spot in a season otherwise dominated by frustration.
But chemistry with a teammate is one thing. A team’s habits are another.
“The team wasn’t used to playing with a player who runs in behind, and Vlahovic tended to keep the ball to himself.”
That line cuts to the heart of his struggle. Openda’s game depends on quick service, early balls into space, and vertical attacks. Juventus often asked him to operate in tight areas, to play with his back to goal, or to wait for a pass that never came because the move slowed around Vlahovic.
Lost between ideas and execution
Across that season, under Igor Tudor and then Luciano Spalletti, Openda never truly imposed himself. One goal in 34 games across all competitions tells its own story.
“I tried to get my chance, and sometimes I did,” he said. The opportunities arrived, but never with the rhythm or continuity a striker needs to build confidence.
As the campaign wore on, the picture became clearer.
“Towards the end of the season, I realised that to play, I had to leave.”
Not because he had given up on the club, but because the tactical puzzle did not fit. Juventus were not about to remodel their attack around a runner in behind, and Openda was not going to turn into a static reference point overnight.
No regrets, only lessons
Still, he resists the easy narrative of failure.
“It wasn’t a mistake, and it allowed me to work on aspects I hadn’t considered,” he insisted. The year in Turin toughened him, forced him to refine parts of his game away from his natural weapons, and exposed him to a different footballing culture.
“I’m sure that in other circumstances, it would have gone better.”
Different coach. Different structure. Different attacking hierarchy. In another version of events, Openda believes the move could have taken off.
A fresh start in France
For now, the reset button has been pressed in Ligue 1. Lyon paid €3.5m to take him on loan for the 2026-27 season, without an option to buy. Two goals in his first eight appearances hint at a player still searching for rhythm but far from finished.
This is a staging ground, not a final destination. Juventus still own his contract. His future, once again, will be shaped by systems, roles, and space – the space he runs into, and the space a club is willing to give him.
