Juventus forward Edon Zhegrova has contributed nothing to the scoresheet through his first two Serie A appearances of the 2026-27 season, averaging a rating of 6.58 as the bianconeri drew 1-1 with Milan at home in Round 3 — a result that left Spalletti's side sixth in the table on seven points from three matches.
The draw itself was not without drama. Alphadjo Cisse opened the scoring for Milan before Federico Gatti equalized deep in stoppage time, and Juventus coach Luciano Spalletti had previewed the fixture by expecting a vivacious, attack-minded contest from both sides. He got one. Zhegrova, however, was not among those who shaped it. The starting eleven featured Nico Gonzalez, Randal Kolo Muani, and Kerim Alajbegovic — a selection shaped in part by an injury crisis — which tells its own story about where the 27-year-old currently sits in the squad hierarchy.
His exclusion from Juventus's Europa League registration compounds the picture. Zhegrova is locked out of European competition entirely this season, meaning Serie A is his only stage, and he has yet to make it count. Two matches, no goals, no assists. For a forward whose AI overall sits at 47 out of 100 — with a potential of 58 — the data suggests a player operating well below what his ceiling might allow, and with limited room for error given the competition for places ahead of him.
Spalletti's Juventus are defensively solid — one goal conceded in three matches — but the attacking return of four goals across those same games is modest. There is a structural argument that the team needs more from its forward options, Zhegrova included. The question is whether he gets the minutes to make that case. An injury crisis that forced unconventional selections against Milan could open a door; it could equally close one, if those pressed into service perform well enough to hold their spots.
At 27, Zhegrova is not a project. He is a player who needs to produce now, in a league where the margin between squad rotation and irrelevance narrows quickly. The next few weeks will define whether he becomes part of Spalletti's solution or a footnote to a season that moved on without him.