Why Juventus had to register Ekhator and not Zhegrova in UEFA squad list changes

Juventus have added Jeff Ekhator to their UEFA squad list in place of injured captain Manuel Locatelli, and the competition’s registration rules decided it ahead of Edon Zhegrova.

According to TuttoMercatoWeb, the Bianconeri have finally replaced Locatelli, who had knee surgery on his meniscus in September and isn’t expected back until next year. Ekhator returned to the squad for Sunday’s 2-0 win over Napoli after a long injury lay-off.

On form, Zhegrova would have been the obvious choice. The winger has looked sharper in recent weeks and is one of Luciano Spalletti’s few fit attacking options, but he isn’t eligible.

UEFA’s homegrown rules explained as Juventus register Ekhator

UEFA requires every 25-man A list to include a minimum number of locally trained players: four trained at the club itself and up to four trained at other clubs in the same country.

Locatelli, who came through the youth system at Milan, counts as one of Juve’s association-trained players. That means he can only be swapped for a player in the same category.

Ekhator, a product of Genoa’s academy, fits that requirement. Zhegrova had never played in Italy before joining Juventus, so he would have taken one of the 17 unrestricted places, and those are already full.