Juventus: A hopeless search for the lost "specialty"

After yet another unforgivable mistake (who knows how many times) by Michele Di Gregorio in last week's friendly loss to Inter 1-2, the pressure on Juventus to replace their goalkeeper has become even greater. But it's not an easy task at this moment.

Zion Suzuki has become a "hot" name on the Italian player market in recent hours, after the press confirmed that PSG has reached an agreement to buy the Japanese national team goalkeeper from Parma but will immediately loan him to Juventus.

The lost "specialty"

From Dino Zoff to Stefano Tacconi, Angelo Peruzzi, and then Gianluigi Buffon, Juventus has historically not only possessed outstanding goalkeepers but also turned that position into a part of its identity. But that is a story of the past. Since Wojciech Szczesny left in 2024, no Juventus goalkeeper has been a national team player, breaking the proud tradition they had maintained for decades. Di Gregorio has never been considered for the Italian national team, having only played one match at the U17 level, while Mattia Perin has only 2 caps for the Azzurri, the most recent being 8 years ago.

Di Gregorio's case is particularly noteworthy because he was the choice Juventus bet on two years ago, when they decided to part ways with Szczesny and give the Italian goalkeeper a chance. But while Juventus has struggled with the successor problem, Szczesny became a key figure in two La Liga titles with Barcelona. The Italian press calls that decision the "original sin" that Juventus management now has to find a way to fix.

And now people are fed up with Di Gregorio. Despite his agent going online to accuse Juventus's failures in recent seasons of being due to poor management and constant coaching changes rather than blaming Di Gregorio, the 28-year-old's disastrous performances reveal the truth. Out of the 17 matches Juve conceded goals in Serie A last season with Di Gregorio as starter, in 14 of those he was beaten on the first shot on target. Juventus fans consider Di Gregorio the biggest embarrassment in the club's history. The worst part is that this goalkeeper shows no signs of improvement, and the mistake of missing the catch in the recent loss to Inter almost put an end to his position at Juve.

Where to find a good goalkeeper now?

In the past, Juventus did not acquire top goalkeepers by chance; they always felt a responsibility to equip the highest-class last line. For example, Juve was ready to spend over 100 million lire (equivalent to 41 million euros), a world record for a goalkeeper at the time in 2001, to bring in Gigi Buffon, who was then only 22 years old. Szczesny was also the number one goalkeeper of the Polish national team when he joined Juve in 2017 as a... backup. Then the proud tradition was broken by Di Gregorio, who, before being chosen to replace Szczesny, had only played a single Serie A season.

Juventus has learned a big lesson from that mistake, but when looking around for a more classy replacement for the position between the posts, they feel uneasy. Alisson Becker was once linked but eventually renewed his contract with Liverpool. Emiliano Martinez was also mentioned, but faced obstacles both financial and... ethical. Zion Suzuki is not a bad option, but the current situation shows that this is not a choice worth prioritizing. The reason is that the Japanese goalkeeper is almost already owned by PSG, only available on loan. Does Juve want to become a club that helps PSG develop an asset they don't own, only to face the headache of finding someone new again next year?

All roads seem to lead to a familiar name: Guglielmo Vicario. The 29-year-old Tottenham goalkeeper has clear advantages. He was called up 22 times by coach Luciano Spalletti when he was leading the Italian national team, starting in 6 of those matches. Tottenham may also accept a loan deal with an option to buy, allowing Juventus to test this goalkeeper for a season before deciding on a long-term investment. However, the question is whether Vicario can truly make a "quality leap" large enough to bear the weight of the Juventus shirt, especially when this will be the most scrutinized position.

Orlando Gill is the latest name added to the list. The Paraguayan goalkeeper, born in 2000, standing at 1.99m, recently caught attention at the 2026 World Cup and is valued at around 8.5 million euros. That could be a big "bargain", but it is also the riskiest choice among the current candidates, while Juve cannot afford to gamble again.