Torino forward Zakaria Aboukhlal now enters pre-season under his third head coach in a single calendar year, after the Granata confirmed Ignazio Abate — the former Milan defender who managed Juve Stabia before moving to Turin — as the club's new head coach, replacing Roberto D'Aversa. The appointment is official. Baroni, who preceded D'Aversa, has since returned to Serie B with Hellas Verona.
For Aboukhlal, 26, the managerial carousel is more than background noise. A forward who registered zero goals and zero assists across 15 Serie A appearances this season, with an average match rating of 6.60, he arrives at this summer carrying the weight of a blank statistical record. An AI overall score of 56 out of 100 — with a ceiling assessed at 64 — suggests the tools are there, but the output has not followed. Three different coaches in the space of a year have not unlocked it.
The broader club context does not soften the picture. Torino finished 12th in Serie A 2025-26, collecting 44 points from 37 matches — 12 wins, 8 draws, 17 defeats — and conceding 61 goals against 42 scored. That goal difference of minus 19 reflects a side that struggled at both ends, and Aboukhlal's inability to contribute offensively placed him among the symptoms rather than the remedies.
Abate inherits a squad already in motion. Defender Walukiewicz has been permanently acquired by Sassuolo, trimming the roster and generating transfer income for the Granata. The summer training camp is set for Pinzolo, with dates already confirmed. The structural work is underway before a ball has been kicked in pre-season.
Whether Abate sees Aboukhlal as part of his project is the question the Moroccan forward cannot yet answer for himself. A new coach brings a clean slate in theory, but a season of 15 appearances without a direct contribution is a difficult baseline to argue from. Aboukhlal will need to make the case in Pinzolo that the potential ceiling of 64 is reachable — and that it is reachable in a Granata shirt.