Dusan Vlahovic set high expectations following a big move from Fiorentina in 2022, but things haven’t exactly worked out at Juventus.
The Serbian striker set the world alight for the Viola between August and December 2021. He scored a whopping 23 goals in 28 games for club and country across all competitions during that span.
Juventus then came knocking and signed him for a reported £67 million in January 2022. Since then, however, the (somehow still) 25-year-old hasn’t been able to replicate the magical performances from those Fiorentina days. He did come close in 2023-24, but more on that later.
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So, how has his game evolved – or regressed – over the past three seasons in Turin?
Goals
Vlahovic’s first full campaign for Juventus might actually have been his most disappointing one. Especially due to the high expectations around him after shining for Fiorentina and having a decent start to life for the Vecchia Signora.
His second half of the 2021-22 season wasn’t amazing, but he did manage to score nine goals in 21 games.
In 2022-23, on the other hand, he had his most games (42) and minutes (2,943) played but also the fewest goals scored (14) in a full season for Juve across all competitions. He also recorded his worst expected goals underperformance with the Bianconeri (-3.0).
It’s worth mentioning that it was also the most injury-riddled season of his career. He had five different problems that led to a total of 14 games missed, which probably messed with his overall rythm and confidence.
Finishing
Vlahovic ended the 2021-22 season as one of the most efficient goalscorers in Serie A recent memory. He converted 74% of his big chances for Fiorentina and Juventus that year, the second most by a player among all to receive 15+ clear-cut opportunities since, at least, 2010-11. Domenico Berardi recorded 76% for Sassuolo in 2014-15.
It was never going to be a sustainable output, but the drop to 40% in 2022-23 was a big one. And from that to a miserable 21% the following season was even worse. Last campaign, it went back up to a still worrying 31%.
Despite all that, the Serbian managed to have a very good 2023-24 campaign. His 16 league goals were second only to Inter Milan’s Lautaro Martínez (24), he scored the goal that guaranteed Juventus the Coppa Italia title in the final against Atalanta and was voted the best Serie A striker that season.
It was also when he had his best goals and shots on target tallies per 90 minutes in the league, as well as his highest percentages in shooting accuracy and goal conversion. Nearly all of them dropped last season.
Involvement
We can all safely agree that 2023-24 was Vlahovic’s best season at Juventus. It was also the campaign in which he participated the most considering all phases of the game.
The 25-year-old was highly active in build-ups, involving teammates and battling – it even manifested in bookings.
And after giving the fans hope that maybe he would finally get it going for Juve, he went back down in every department last year. 2024-25 was flat out bad, which led to him having his fewest minutes per game (62) and starts (21) in the league since his second year in Italy.
What’s next for Vlahovic?
Following Jonathan David’s arrival, Dusan Vlahovic is now officially a back-up striker at Juventus.
He actually scored after coming off the bench as a late substitute on Matchday 1 of the 2025-26 Serie A against Parma. Maybe he adapts to this role, but he’s reportedly one of Italy’s biggest earners – which is not ideal for a non-starter and might even scare away potential interest from elsewhere.
Vlahovic has entered the last year of his contract and all signs point towards him ending the season in Turin and then becoming a free agent.