Juventus hire Thiago Motta as new manager
- Juventus have confirmed the arrival of Motta as their new manager
- Former Bologna boss replaces Massimiliano Allegri, who was sacked last season
- Aston Villa's Douglas Luiz could become club's first signing of the summer
By Tom Gott
Juventus have confirmed the appointment of Thiago Motta as their new manager.
The Serie A giants spent the last month on the hunt for a new manager after parting ways with Massimiliano Allegri in the wake of the controversy that followed the team's triumph in the Coppa Italia final.
Sights were soon set on Motta and Juventus have now confirmed a deal has been struck to bring the 41-year-old to Turin this summer.
“I am really happy to begin a new chapter at the helm of a great club like Juventus," he told the club's official website. "I thank the owners and the management, who can be sure of my ambition to keep the Juventus flag flying high and to please the fans.”
Motta arrives at Juventus after a thoroughly impressive two-year spell with Bologna, who qualified for the Champions League for the first time last season and finished just three points behind his new club in the Serie A standings.
The former Paris Saint-Germain and Inter midfielder earned plenty of praise for Bologna's positive style of play, which yielded club-record points tallies during both of his seasons at the helm.
Motta faces the challenge of leading Juventus back to the top of the Serie A table after a handful of seasons back in the chasing pack. Not since 2020 have they lifted the league title, while this past season was their first appearance in the top three in four years.
He has already been involved in transfer discussions with Juventus chiefs and is understood to have given his approval to a move for Aston Villa midfielder Douglas Luiz, who could move to Turin in a deal which takes Weston McKennie and Samuel Iling Jr to the Premier League in exchange.
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