Kolo Muani: Playing with Juventus Feels Like a Dream
French international forward Randal Kolo Muani has been shining since joining Juventus on loan from Paris Saint-Germain, scoring five goals in three matches ahead of their upcoming match against PSV Eindhoven on Tuesday in Turin, as part of the Champions League round of 16 qualifiers.
After his quiet move to Juventus, especially following an administrative issue that delayed his debut in Italy, the French international has already made his mark in Serie A history.
The forward, who was kept on the bench by PSG’s Spanish coach Luis Enrique after being left out of his plans, is the first new player in 30 years to score in his first three matches, netting five goals.
In the match against Como on Friday, Kolo Muani, who had played only 453 minutes since August with PSG, helped Juventus turn a difficult situation around, scoring a brace (2-1).
The player admitted: “It feels like a dream. I’m very happy to be here at Juventus and to have had such a great start.”
The former Nantes and Eintracht Frankfurt player added: “For me, it’s very important to always play with the aim of winning.”
Despite knowing he has limited playing time, his new coach, Thiago Motta, didn’t hesitate to field him. Once Kolo Muani received clearance from FIFA, as PSG had to comply with an international rule limiting the number of loaned players to six, Motta started him over Serbian international striker Dušan Vlahović.
Physical Impact: The Frenchman, with his physical presence and quick movement, is a striker that Juventus’ Brazilian-Italian coach particularly likes, often comparing him to Dutchman Joshua Zirkzee (11 goals), who led Bologna to fifth place in Serie A last season.
But Motta, who speaks French and previously played for PSG, expects even more from his new striker. He said: “Randal feels good and has been scoring goals since day one. He arrived with a smile and has helped me a lot, but he can still give better performances. He needs to stay humble.”
He warned: “Scoring is important, but a striker must do more than just score.”
Juventus’ coach may have a big problem to solve, as Vlahović, the team’s highest-paid player and top scorer in the league this season (8 goals), may not be satisfied with just a few minutes in matches, as happened against Empoli (4-1), where he came on in the last 25 minutes and scored.
However, the results show that the decision is working, as Juventus has reached the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia and remains in fifth place in the league, just two points behind the fourth position, which is currently the last one directly qualifying for next season’s prestigious continental competition.
Fans now hope that the loan deal from Paris Saint-Germain until the end of the season, without an option to buy, will turn into a long-term contract. But the club’s fragile financial situation might prevent that dream from coming true.
Paris Saint-Germain, who paid 95 million euros for the World Cup 2022 finalist (who lost to Argentina), are reportedly expecting at least 60 million euros for Kolo Muani, according to Italian press, especially if “RK” continues scoring.
