Teun Koopmeiners has the next three months to turn a difficult Juventus chapter in his favour. With midfield absences creating room around him, the Dutchman has an opportunity to become more than a useful option before January brings both Khephren Thuram’s expected return and renewed discussion over his future.
Quick facts
- Juventus paid Atalanta €51.3 million plus bonuses for Koopmeiners in August 2024.
- He opened the 2026-27 season with a goal against Parma and created Federico Gatti’s equaliser versus Milan.
- Juventus would prefer a permanent sale in January if his situation does not improve, with a fee below €25 million likely to create a capital loss.
- Besiktas pursued him during the summer, while Galatasaray, Monaco, Everton, Newcastle United and Saudi clubs also showed interest.
- Khephren Thuram is forecast to return around January, while Manuel Locatelli is not expected back until spring.
Koopmeiners has produced moments of consequence, but Juventus are still waiting for the player who had made such a mark at Atalanta through goals, assists and authority. The concern is not simply statistical: it is about his influence on a side that expected him to carry more weight after such a substantial investment.
Luciano Spalletti wants more from a midfielder with the physical and technical equipment to lead games. So far, however, Koopmeiners has not made that place his own, despite a season in which the squad’s injuries have opened a clear route into the side.
His only start came in Juventus’ poor away defeat to Sassuolo, a match in which he did not reach the required level. There have been no sustained displays since to persuade the coach that he should be ahead of the competing midfielders.
Douglas Luiz has been gaining confidence from match to match, even if he still needs to speed up both his decisions and execution to fully convince Spalletti. Pape Matar Sarr has also made a more forceful early impression, while Weston McKennie remains another significant presence in the department.
An opening created by injuries
Thuram has not played at the start of the campaign after undergoing surgery on 3 September for patellar cartilage damage in his right knee. His estimated January comeback gives the current period extra importance for Koopmeiners.
Locatelli’s absence is longer-term. He had surgery on the lateral meniscus in his right knee and is only expected to return in the spring, leaving Juventus short of established midfield reference points.
That context should have made Koopmeiners central to the team’s response. Instead, Juventus remain in a holding pattern: aware of his quality, but still unable to see it consistently at the level demanded in Turin.
The club have already seen a player rediscover himself after a setback. Nico Gonzalez left Juventus on loan during 2025 following an underwhelming season, and Spalletti has since had a more motivated Argentine available for reassessment and a larger role.
Koopmeiners may view his own position through a similar lens. A strong run before the winter window could change the internal conversation, restore confidence and establish a clearer purpose at Juventus.
January remains in the background
If there is no decisive improvement, Juventus’ recruitment staff are likely to revisit the market in January. Their priority would be a permanent departure rather than another temporary arrangement.
The numbers make that difficult. Having spent €51.3 million plus bonuses in 2024, Juventus would be reluctant to accept less than €25 million, a threshold below which a loss on the books would become an issue for chief executive Giovanni Carnevali.
Besiktas pushed hardest in the summer but did not persuade the player. A major bid now appears hard to envisage, although previous interest from Galatasaray, Monaco, Everton and Newcastle could yet return in the form of loan proposals; two Saudi clubs had also tracked him late in the window.
Ultimately, Koopmeiners will have a say in whether he stays and fights for his place or accepts a six-month move abroad to reset his confidence and motivation. For Juventus, the coming months are not merely a transfer deadline countdown: they are his chance to ensure the club do not need to make that decision at all.
