Lois Openda Reflects on Juventus Spell and Move to Lyon
Lois Openda has no regrets about his short and difficult spell at Juventus. He does, however, have a clear idea of why it never truly clicked in Turin – and why life felt very different alongside Jonathan David.
Speaking to L’Equipe about his lone season in Serie A, the Belgium international defended his 2025 move from RB Leipzig to Juventus, even as he dissected a campaign that brought just one goal in 34 appearances under Igor Tudor and then Luciano Spalletti.
“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, outlining how the project had been sold to him before his arrival in Italy.
He quickly discovered that Serie A’s tactical landscape did not always suit his strengths.
“In Italy, the team that really exploits depth is Inter. Roma are only just starting to understand it,” he said, highlighting how rare it was to find sides willing to play to a striker who thrives on running in behind.
At Juventus, competition for places was fierce and the profiles did not always complement each other.
“The coach wanted me, but Vlahovic and David were already playing in my position,” he explained. The dynamic with one of them worked. The other, less so.
“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 numbers underline the struggle. Across all competitions in 2025-26, Openda found the net just once, often fighting for scraps and sporadic minutes as Juventus leaned on more static reference points in attack. The breakthrough he hoped for never arrived.
“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 conclusion was brutal but simple: staying meant stagnating.
He does not, though, label the move a failure.
“It wasn’t a mistake, and it allowed me to work on aspects I hadn’t considered,” Openda insisted. “I knew exactly what I was getting into, and I’m sure that in other circumstances, it would have gone better.”
Those “other circumstances” are now being chased in France. On loan at Lyon for 2026-27, Openda has scored two goals in eight appearances so far, trying to rebuild rhythm and confidence in a league more accustomed to forwards who attack space.
Lyon paid €3.5m to bring him in on loan, but crucially, there is no option to buy. Whatever happens this season, Juventus will still have a decision to make on a striker who believes his story at the top level should read very differently.
