NBA Player Criticizes Juventus: The Effect of Selling Players & Firing Tudor?

Rancak Media – Italian giants Juventus are facing strong criticism from NBA star Nikola Vucevic following the club’s decision to dismiss Igor Tudor and sell a promising young player from their academy.

The Chicago Bulls center, a devout Juventus supporter, believes his beloved club’s decisions in recent years are the root cause of its declining performance on the pitch. His concerns primarily revolve around the swift dismissal of Igor Tudor, who was subsequently replaced by Luciano Spalletti.

Vucevic contends that the management of I Bianconeri acted too hastily in replacing Tudor with Spalletti. “Spalletti, of course, is an experienced coach. However, I must say I feel sorry for Igor Tudor,” Vucevic stated, as quoted by BolaSport.com from La Gazzetta dello Sport.

According to the 35-year-old basketball player, the Old Lady’s management should have granted Tudor more time to prove himself. This sentiment is particularly strong given Tudor’s success last season, where he guided the club to a strong recovery and secured a coveted Champions League spot. “I think he did a good job. Maybe he didn’t have enough time to implement his football beliefs,” Vucevic added, lamenting the premature end to Tudor’s tenure.

Beyond his disappointment over Tudor’s sacking, Vucevic also voiced stern criticism of Juventus for what he perceives as the irrational sale of talented academy player, Dean Huijsen, for an unacceptably low price.

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From the same source, Vucevic found Juventus’ decision to offload Huijsen cheaply utterly illogical. The 20-year-old defender was a product of I Bianconeri’s esteemed academy from 2021 to 2023. However, in the summer of 2024, the Turin-based club sold him to Bournemouth for a mere 15 million euros (approximately Rp289 billion).

In a span of just one year, Huijsen dramatically proved his immense quality, catching the eye of Real Madrid, who subsequently acquired him for a staggering 62.5 million euros (approximately Rp1.2 trillion). This meteoric rise left the Montenegrin basketball player infuriated, as Juventus not only lost a prodigious talent who could have been a cornerstone of their future squad but also suffered significant economic losses.

“Do you know what bothers me the most as a big fan? I truly cannot accept so many great young players being sacrificed, who are sold for cheap,” he expressed with frustration. “I consider the sale of Dean Huijsen for 15 million euros, for example, absurd. He is a player who is currently playing well at Real Madrid and is considered one of the best young defenders in the world. Unfortunately, there are many other examples,” Vucevic concluded, highlighting a recurring issue for the club.

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Regardless of the controversial Huijsen transfer, Juventus has embarked on a new chapter under the guidance of Luciano Spalletti. Since the former Napoli coach took the helm, the Black and Whites have shown promising form, remaining unbeaten in their last two outings. These positive results include a 2-1 victory over Cremonese and a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Sporting CP.

Manuel Locatelli and his teammates are now gearing up for the highly anticipated Derby della Mole against city rivals Torino. This crucial Serie A Week 11 clash is scheduled to take place on Sunday, November 9, 2025, WIB.