Loïs Openda's first season at Juventus has not gone the way anyone expected. He has only 2 goals in 34 appearances across all competitions, and Luciano Spalletti has now openly admitted that he may have got the Belgian's usage wrong, saying it was “another mistake I've made”.
Spalletti's own view of Openda's minutes
The most striking part of Spalletti's comments is not the criticism of Openda, but the fact that it came from the manager himself. Speaking to football-italia.net, Spalletti said: “That is another mistake I've made. I have to make decisions, but I'm sure I'll get something wrong. He is committed and demonstrates outstanding professionalism. I haven't played him much because I thought others could give me better results.”
That is a fairly blunt admission. Spalletti is not saying Openda has failed to earn trust, and he is not questioning the forward's attitude. He is saying he picked other options instead, and that choice has left Loïs Openda stuck on the margins.
The numbers back that up. Openda has played barely 1,100 minutes across all competitions this season, including 688 minutes under Spalletti since October. For a summer signing brought in from RB Leipzig with an obligation to buy tied to a top-ten finish, that is a very small return on game time.
Why the selection debate matters more than the scoring return
There is no way to dress up 2 goals in 34 appearances as a good debut campaign. But the more revealing detail is the minutes total, because it shows how often Openda has been used in short, fragmented spells rather than as a regular attacking piece.
Juventus are currently 4th in Serie A with 65 points from 35 played, and that helps explain why Spalletti has leaned toward stability. Recent form has been strong enough, with DDWWW in the league, so he has not been forced into major attacking changes. Even so, the coach's own words give Openda's case a different feel now. The discussion is no longer just about output, it is about whether he has actually been given enough of a run to show more.
Spalletti also made clear that the player has not been an attitude problem. “He is committed and demonstrates outstanding professionalism,” he said. That matters, because it leaves the debate where it should be, on selection and usage rather than discipline or effort.
If anything, the situation looks more like a manager correcting himself in public than a club writing off a signing. Openda still has the contract context of a loan with an obligation to buy in the background, but the immediate story is simpler than that. Spalletti has admitted he has not always handled the forward as well as he could have, and the minutes are the clearest evidence.
The next question is whether that admission leads to a real change in how Juventus use him. With the season still live and Juventus sitting fourth, Openda's remaining chances will tell us more than the apology has.
Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
