Juventus are only four matches into the new season, yet an old concern has returned to Continassa: why do centre-forwards so often appear to find a freer life once they leave Turin? Jonathan David’s second successive goal for Atletico Madrid, accompanied by an assist, has sharpened a debate that also takes in Loïs Openda, Dusan Vlahovic and now Randal Kolo Muani.
David’s start in Spain has been particularly awkward for Juventus to watch. Against Osasuna he was able to shoot six times, even if three major chances went unfinished, and his early Atletico figures stand at an average of seven attempts and five on target per 90 minutes. At Juventus last season, the Canadian managed eight goals and five assists across 46 appearances after arriving with 183 career goals and a standing behind only Erling Haaland among scorers born after 2000. Before long, he had fallen to the edge of the side, with questions raised over his ruthlessness and determination in the penalty area.
There are similar notes in Openda’s story. The Belgian had already scored 107 times in his career before Turin, but his Juventus spell produced only two goals, both in 2025. His closing stretch was especially bleak: four minutes of football across the final 11 league matches. This season, however, he has begun with two goals and an assist.
Vlahovic’s Juventus record also remains part of the broader picture. He arrived with the reputation of a forward who could compete with Haaland and Kylian Mbappé among Europe’s leading strikers, but his development never truly gathered pace in black and white. His best return was 18 goals in a season. Now on three goals at the start of the campaign, he too has added weight to the feeling that Turin has not always brought the best from its No. 9s.
Kolo Muani and Juventus’ lack of service
The immediate pressure has moved to Kolo Muani. Juventus paid €38 million, with a further €12 million in bonuses, after pursuing the Frenchman through three consecutive transfer windows. He has yet to score, and the missed opportunities against Frosinone and Parma have naturally drawn criticism. More significantly, though, he has not appeared fully involved in Luciano Spalletti’s attacking play.
The shooting figures underline the concern without settling the argument. In his first four outings, Kolo Muani has registered nine shots in all, only two of them on target. That works out at 2.25 attempts per match and 0.5 on-target efforts.
Other forwards have been given markedly more opportunities in the same early-season period. Malen has taken 17 shots, nine on target; Lautaro Martinez has recorded 16 attempts and four on target despite playing one match fewer; Douvikas has 11 and six; Hojlund seven and four; while Milan’s Gonçalo Ramos has 14 attempts, four on target, although he has not scored in his past three games.
None of those numbers alone can explain a striker’s decline or revival. David missed chances against Osasuna despite his busy evening, and Ramos’ volume of attempts has not recently brought goals. Yet Juventus’ pattern is difficult to ignore. Kolo Muani is receiving far fewer shooting openings than several of his peers, while David, Openda and Vlahovic have all begun to produce more readily away from the environment that once constrained them.
For Spalletti and the club, the issue is therefore larger than one forward’s finishing. Juventus must decide whether Kolo Muani is simply enduring a slow opening, or whether the side’s present context is again leaving its central striker too isolated from the chances that define the position.
