'I can draw inspiration from Zlatan' – Openda looks to emulate Juventus greats

Lois Openda is drawing inspiration from players like Zlatan Ibrahimovic following his loan move to Juventus.

The Belgium forward joined the Serie A giants from RB Leipzig late on in the transfer window, and he held an introductory press conference in Turin on Thursday after returning from international duty.

Openda endured a quiet campaign by his standards last season, scoring nine goals and providing seven assists in 33 Bundesliga matches.

In his previous two seasons, with Leipzig and Lens respectively, he directly contributed to 31 goals in 2023-24 (24 goals, seven assists) and 25 goals in 2022-23 (21 goals, four assists) in league matches.

Ibrahimovic spent two seasons with Juventus before joining rivals Inter in 2006. The Sweden icon scored 22 league goals in 64 appearances for the Bianconeri, having arrived from Ajax.

Openda is ready to emulate greats like Ibrahimovic as he looks to start his Juventus career on the right foot, starting with Saturday's derby d'Italia against the Nerazzurri.

“It was an easy choice [to join Juventus],” said Openda.

“When I spoke to [general manager, Damien] Comolli, everything was simple. There have been many top players here, like Zlatan for example, from whom I can draw inspiration.

“My position is as a number nine. I’ve always played there but I also like playing on the wing and moving both to the right and left, moving around a lot.

“I spoke with the coach. He knows my preferred position is as a number nine but I am flexible. We’ll see what happens in the next matches. I can play wherever he wants me to.

“I’ve played in France, Germany, the Netherlands and Belgium. I’ve been at many teams and learned from each league.

“Now I’m in Italy and this was the best club where I could contribute. I’m very happy to be here and I can’t wait to start.”