Legendary striker Jose Altafini believes Juventus have committed a grave mistake by allowing Adrien Rabiot to leave for free.
In addition to his memorable spell at Milan, the 87-year-old had stints at Napoli and Juventus. Ahead of Sunday’s meeting between his two former employers, the Italo-Brazilian explained why this will be a crucial contest for both sides.
“If Juve win tonight in Naples, they can get back into the Scudetto race,” argued Altafini in his interview with Tuttosport via JuventusNews24.
“This campaign is truly balanced and full of unexpected events: for this reason, the Bianconeri – if they were to get the three points today – can still have a say in the top spots.”
The iconic attacker hasn’t been impressed with Juve’s transfer activity over the past few years. Nevertheless, he identifies Rabiot’s departure in the summer of 2024 as the biggest blunder committed by the management.
“So far, the management has made a lot of mistakes in recent years and spent cash on several players who haven’t performed up to expectations and haven’t proven to be up to Juve’s level.
(Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)
“They need two or three additions to raise the level. Especially in midfield, where they had a top player like Rabiot, but they let him go. What a mistake! Someone should be kicking themselves, seeing as the Frenchman is now making Milan’s fortune.”
The 30-year-old left Juventus as a free agent in the summer of 2024, as his mother, Veronique, couldn’t reach an agreement with then-Juventus Football Director Cristiano Giuntoli. He spent a year at Olympique Marseille before reuniting with Max Allegri at Milan last summer.
Altafini also discussed Davide Frattesi, who has been unsatisfied with his limited playing time since joining Inter in the summer of 2023.
The former striker believes the midfielder would seamlessly fit into Luciano Spalletti’s tactical jigsaw at Juventus, having already worked under the manager’s tutelage with the Italian national team.
“Frattesi would be ideal for Juve. At Napoli, he would find himself behind Anguissa; while under Spalletti, he would be fully exploited, as was the case in the national team.
“He is a strong player, but at Inter, he has little space: he needs to play, and I would see him doing well in black and white.”
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