New Juventus Strikers Openda and David Finally Show Up

Lois Openda and Jonathan David both hit the net against Bodo/Glimt, powering Juventus to their much-needed maiden UEFA Champions League victory and ending lengthy slumps.

According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, before Wednesday, the duo hadn’t scored in over 1000 minutes each, including international matches. The former RB Leipzig had last done it in April against Wolfsburg, over eight months ago.

While Openda bagged his first goal with Juventus midweek, David had gotten off to a promising start, finding the target versus Parma in the opener. Since then, Dusan Vlahovic returned to form and outplayed the two newcomers. However, his numbers aren’t great either. He has tallied 2 goals in 12 matches.

The Bianconeri shelled out €44M to lure the Belgian international, while the ex-Lille ace joined on a free transfer, although with rich commissions and the second-highest salary in the squad, at €6M annually.

If the pair pans out, the Old Lady would find moving on from Vlahovic easier. Despite his resurgence, it’ll be difficult for the club to meet his lofty demands.

Our Take on Juventus, Openda, and David

Often, time is all that is needed to adjust to new surroundings, plus the team stuttering all season slowed the process. Even though they have done it abroad, there are legitimate reservations about whether they can play as the lone center-forward in Serie A or if they need to partner with a more physical man for the frontline to work. They were signed believing Vlahovic would eventually leave, but since it didn’t happen in the summer, the brass should have used the budget spent on the former to fix other roles.