The Baby Juventus Smiles: A Season of Growth and Promise
The 2025/26 campaign for Juventus Next Gen, the club’s second team now in its seventh Serie C experience, has delivered its best on-field result yet. Despite fewer direct connections with the senior squad compared to previous years, the young Bianconeri finished fifth in Group B and reached the second playoff round—a familiar hurdle for the team. With the advantage of a home fixture and considering their strong run leading up to the clash with Pianese, there is evident regret, especially given the team’s upward trajectory in the final stretch of the regular season, their growing confidence, and their increased comfort in the category.
Juventus Next Gen’s 2025/26 campaign by competition style mirrors a classic knockout match that cannot overshadow what Brambilla’s boys showed over the previous months. A compact group that quickly absorbed market and squad changes, always under the guidance of veterans like captain Simone Guerra and Filippo Scaglia.
**The Most Ready: David Puczka**
When the ball passed through his area, you sensed something positive could happen for the Bianconeri. He has the legs to cut through the ideal left-footed side, capable of carving out delicious trajectories for teammates and making them hard to read for opponents. He pushes forward a lot and functions well from midfield onward, despite some avoidable errors. Below the center line, he still has room to improve. That will also reflect in his market value, currently at €500,000.
**Performance – Season 25/26 – All Competitions**
Appearances: 34
Goals: 10
Assists: 5
**Delayed Progress: Lorenzo Anghelé**
Along with Serigne Deme, he was supposed to be a main support for the striker—a role that remained with Guerra even after Cerri’s underwhelming return. Like the former Spal player, he ended up covering more shadows than light. Despite being in his third Serie C experience, there was no clear improvement; he often got stuck in the zone where he was asked to break through. He had moments of lucidity that allowed him to find the right combinations here and there, but a clear step forward was expected—unfortunately for him, it didn’t come, even though he earned a call-up to the first team.
**Performance – Season 25/26 – All Competitions**
Appearances: 36
Goals: 3
Assists: 3
**Hope for Next Season: Adin Licina**
A few cameos were enough to understand what Juventus saw in him, snatching him from Bayern much like they did with Yildiz in the past. Repeating such a coup is difficult, but the German’s raw material is top quality. An attacking midfielder with a penchant for inside-out movements, allowing him to widen in reception and quickly exchange to attack space. He feels very confident with his left foot, enabling him to control possession, map the field, and decide. He has control and speed in possession but needs time to understand Italian football, the Juventus world, and realize his true potential.
**Performance – Season 25/26 – All Competitions**
Appearances: 11
Goals: 1
Assists: 1
**Who to Draw from the Primavera? Niccolò Rizzo**
The last matchday of the regular season was his opportunity to debut with the Next Gen, before returning to dominate in the Primavera, including the Coppa Italia, where he even scored in the final. A grenadier-like build that loves to test opponents, he can play as a center-back or wide defender, with attention to positioning and a powerful run to cover wide spaces. His goals against Juventus and Inter in the U20 championship are enough to show his quick coordination timing.
