Loïs Openda Defends Juventus Move Despite Tough Season

Loïs Openda has defended his ill-fated move to Juventus, insisting the 2025 switch was “not a mistake” despite a torrid year in Turin and a difficult partnership with Dusan Vlahovic.

Now 26 and on loan at Lyon, the Belgium international looked back on his sole season in Serie A in an interview with L’Equipe, reflecting on a campaign that yielded just one goal in 34 appearances across all competitions.

“I had good chemistry with David”

Openda arrived at Juventus in 2025 after his spell at RB Leipzig, joining a squad already packed with attacking talent. He found himself competing directly with Vlahovic and Jonathan David, and it quickly became clear that his own profile as a striker did not quite fit the team’s habits.

“I spoke with Damien Comolli, who was then the club director, and he explained how he intended to use me in a difficult league,” Openda recalled. “In Italy, the team that really exploits depth is Inter. Roma are only just starting to understand it.”

He is a forward who lives on space, on runs in behind. Juventus, he discovered, did not.

“The coach wanted me, but Vlahovic and David were already playing in my position,” he said. “I had good chemistry with David, but the team wasn’t used to playing with a player who runs in behind, and Vlahovic tended to keep the ball to himself.”

The contrast was stark: one striker looking to stretch defences, another more inclined to receive to feet and hold on to possession. Openda’s movement often went unused.

A season that never ignited

Under Igor Tudor and then Luciano Spalletti, Openda tried to force his way into the picture. Cameos, sporadic starts, long spells of frustration. The numbers tell the story: one goal in 34 games.

“I tried to get my chance, and sometimes I did, but towards the end of the season, I realised that to play, I had to leave,” he admitted.

The decision to walk away from Juventus after just one year could easily be framed as a misstep after leaving RB Leipzig, where his profile was clearer and the space more plentiful. Openda refuses that narrative.

“It wasn’t a mistake, and it allowed me to work on aspects I hadn’t considered,” he said. “I knew exactly what I was getting into, and I’m sure that in other circumstances, it would have gone better.”

New start at Lyon, but no long-term guarantee

Lyon stepped in for the 2026-27 campaign, paying €3.5 million to take Openda on loan. The French club did not secure an option to buy, underlining the short-term nature of the move and the sense that this season is an audition more than a homecoming.

So far, Openda has scored two goals in eight appearances, trying to rebuild confidence and rhythm in a league more suited to his vertical runs and direct style.

The chemistry with David is now a memory, the partnership with Vlahovic a lesson. What comes next will decide whether that season at Juventus becomes a footnote in his career, or a turning point that reshapes it.