Deschamps in pole position to succeed Spalletti at Juventus

Didier Deschamps is one of the serious options being considered by Juventus to replace Luciano Spalletti, should the current manager leave the Turin club. The former France national team coach has a strong bond with the Bianconeri, forged both as a player and as a manager.

On the sporting front, Deschamps first excelled at Turin as a midfielder, winning three Scudetti (1995, 1997, 1998) and the Ligue des Champions in 1996. However, it was his spell on the bench, between July 2006 and summer 2007, that earned him lasting recognition from the Piedmont club.

Juventus was going through one of the darkest periods in its history at that time. Condemned to play in Serie B in the wake of the Calciopoli scandal and hit with a nine-point penalty deduction at the start, the Bianconeri entrusted their comeback to Deschamps, just weeks after his impressive spell at Monaco, where he had led AS Monaco to the Ligue des Champions final in 2004.

Mission accomplished without a hitch: with an atypical squad for Italian second division standards — Buffon, Del Piero, Trezeguet and Nedved had remained loyal to the club — Deschamps secured the only Serie B championship title in Juventus history, posting a record of 28 wins, 10 draws and 4 defeats.

The adventure ended abruptly in summer 2007, however, over a disagreement with the sporting director at the time. Deschamps himself would later acknowledge that he had made “a mistake” in leaving the club so soon. He would have to wait until 2009 to return to a dugout, at Olympique de Marseille.

Since the end of his tenure with the French national team, Deschamps’ name has been regularly linked with the most prestigious vacant positions — Real Madrid, Manchester United, Turkish national team. The Juventus option appears to be one of the most credible, however, backed by intact goodwill in Turin and by a crisis-management profile already tested at the club.