Loïs Openda Reflects on Juventus Tenure: No Regrets, Just Lessons

Loïs Openda does not look back at Juventus with regret. Frustration, yes. Lessons learned, certainly. But not regret.

The Belgium international, now trying to relaunch himself on loan at Lyon, opened up to L’Equipe about a solitary, stuttering season in Turin that yielded just one goal in 34 appearances and never really caught fire.

‘I had good chemistry with David’

Openda arrived at Juventus in 2025 from RB Leipzig with a clear plan in mind. He had spoken at length with Damien Comolli, then a club director, about how his pace and movement in behind would be used in Serie A.

“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 said. Italy’s top flight, he quickly realised, was not always built for his strengths.

“In Italy, the team that really exploits depth is Inter. Roma are only just starting to understand it.”

Juventus were somewhere in between, and Openda found himself squeezed by the competition around him rather than unleashed by the system. The club already had Dusan Vlahovic and Jonathan David operating in his zone of the pitch.

“The coach wanted me, but Vlahovic and David were already playing in my position,” he explained. The chemistry with David came naturally. The wider structure did not.

“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.”

It was a blunt assessment, not an attack. A snapshot of a dressing room hierarchy and a tactical framework that never quite made room for his explosive, vertical game.

One goal, 34 games, and a hard decision

Under Igor Tudor and then Luciano Spalletti during the 2025-26 campaign, Openda kept chasing his opening. Minutes came, but rarely in the right role or rhythm. Starts were scattered, confidence eroded, and the numbers told their own story: one goal across all competitions.

“I tried to get my chance, and sometimes I did,” he said. “But towards the end of the season, I realised that to play, I had to leave.”

The conclusion was harsh but logical. Staying meant stagnation. Moving meant risk. He chose the latter.

Lyon stepped in, paying €3.5m for a season-long loan for 2026-27, with no option to buy. A calculated gamble for the French club, a lifeline for the forward.

So far, Openda has responded with two goals in eight appearances. Not spectacular, but a start. A reminder that the player who terrorised defences at Lens and Leipzig still exists beneath the scars of a difficult year.

‘It wasn’t a mistake’

What stands out is that Openda refuses to label Juventus a wrong turn.

“It wasn’t a mistake, and it allowed me to work on aspects I hadn’t considered,” he insisted. The move hardened him, forced him to adapt, and exposed him to a league where space is a luxury and every run is a negotiation.

“I knew exactly what I was getting into, and I’m sure that in other circumstances, it would have gone better.”

Different coach. Different system. Different hierarchy. Football careers often hinge on those details. For Openda, the margins at Juventus never tilted in his favour.

Now he runs for Lyon instead, in a league that understands depth, transition, and speed far more instinctively. There is no purchase clause, no guaranteed future in France. Just a season to prove that the player Juventus never truly used is still worth building around.