Loïs Openda Reflects on Juventus Move: No Regrets

Loïs Openda has no regrets about his ill-fated spell at Juventus. He left with one league goal, a bruised reputation and a suitcase full of questions, but in his mind, the move from RB Leipzig was “not a mistake.”

Speaking to L’Équipe, the Belgium international opened up on a season in Turin that never really caught fire, and on the striking partnerships that shaped – and stifled – his game.

“I had good chemistry with David”

Now 26 and on loan at Lyon, where he has two goals in eight appearances this season, Openda looked back at the decision that took him to the Allianz Stadium for 2025-26.

“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, he quickly realised, was not built for his strengths.

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

That one line sums up his problem. Openda is a forward who lives on space, on runs in behind, on defenders turning and panicking. Serie A, and Juventus in particular, rarely gave him that canvas.

“The coach wanted me, but Vlahovic and David were already playing in my position,” he continued. Competition was fierce, and the tactical fit even fiercer.

With Jonathan David, at least, he felt a connection. “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.”

The partnership that might have unlocked him never truly became the team’s reference point. The system stayed the same. Openda stayed on the fringes.

One goal, 34 games, and a hard decision

Under Igor Tudor and Luciano Spalletti, Openda featured regularly enough on paper, racking up 34 appearances in all competitions. The numbers behind that, though, told a different story: just one goal, long stretches of frustration, and a role that never quite matched his profile.

“I tried to get my chance, and sometimes I did,” he said. The minutes arrived in bursts, not in a sustained run that could build confidence. “But towards the end of the season, I realised that to play, I had to leave.”

The pressure finally told. Staying meant more of the same. Leaving meant risk, but also air.

He does not, however, rewrite history to comfort himself. Openda stands by the decision to leave RB Leipzig for Juventus.

“It wasn’t a mistake, and it allowed me to work on aspects I hadn’t considered,” he insisted. The year in Turin hardened him, forced him to adapt to tighter spaces, different movements, and the demands of a club where patience is thin.

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

A fresh start in Lyon, without a safety net

Lyon stepped in for 2026-27, paying €3.5m to take him on loan. There is no option to buy, no long-term guarantee attached. This is a showcase season, pure and simple.

Two goals in eight appearances hint at a player still recalibrating, still chasing the rhythm he once had in Germany and Belgium. The difference now is clear: he is in a league that embraces verticality more readily, in a team that can lean into his speed and movement.

The Juventus chapter closed with a single goal and a stack of doubts from the outside. Inside his own head, though, Openda has already filed it under something else: a brutal, necessary lesson he intends to make count in France.