Former Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic says Juan Cuadrado’s move to Inter and Juve being linked with Romelu Lukaku doesn’t surprise him. The Bosnia international is currently featuring for UAE side Sharjah and spoke with La Gazzetta dello Sport of his experiences of football in the Middle East, including the influx of players in the Saudi Arabian league:
“I am not surprised. Last year, before arriving here, I was close to Al Nassr, Ronaldo’s team. I could have arrived before Cristiano, but at that time the situation was not what it is now. I am not surprised by the development of Arabia, they have hosted so many Italian and Spanish Super Cups in recent years. There is so much passion for football. The league is good, not as many people think. I talked to Cris, he is happy and is sure that in the future it will become one of the major world tournaments.”
Milinkovic-Savic was in Juventus’ sights, but at 28 he chose Al Hilal: surprised?
“These are personal choices. When you’re in the prime of your career if you have the chance you want to fulfill the dreams you had as a kid, like Juve, Real, Barça… Milinkovic preferred Arabia, but honestly I don’t know what situation he had with Juve.”
Allegri said ‘no thanks’ to the Arab super offer. Have you discussed this?
“Max wants to have a more normal year with Juve after last season’s turmoil caused by points in the standings taken away, given back, and retracted. Not to mention the injured big players and the change in management in November that ended up leaving him more alone. The Arabs are proving that they have endless economic possibilities and if Allegri was a first choice for them, there will be a reason: Max is highly regarded, we are talking about a coach who has won so much. It is not a mystery, everyone knows that the Arabs wanted him badly, we even talked about it. Allegri, however, has 2 years on his contract, he is tied to Juve and above all he is very motivated and convinced that he can still do something great.”
With the anger of two years without trophies – and now without the Champions League – do you think Juve could be favorites for the Scudetto?
“Let’s wait until the end of August. Italian clubs are not doing an aggressive transfer market, first they have the need to sell. The Scudetto fight will be the usual: Napoli, Juve, Inter, Milan. The Nerazzurri and Rossoneri are changing a lot. We’ll see….”
Bonucci off the roster: does it affect you to see him with the players left out at Juve?
“If this is how it was decided, I think everything was said to his face, clearly. It is never easy for a player to accept something like that. Leo is a leader, he has given so much to Juve.”
Cuadrado has moved to Inter Milan and Juve is in the running for Lukaku. your thoughts?
“In football, nothing surprises me. Cuadrado was free after his contract expired with Juve and if he decided to go to Inter to continue playing at a high level, he should be respected. These are choices, but it should not be forgotten how much Juan gave to Juve in his eight years in Turin.”
For Juve, could taking Lukaku be a 2016 Higuain-type blow?
“It is not fair to compare them, they are different cases. Higuain was an extraordinary striker, he played in Real Madrid and in 2016 he had scored 36 goals with Napoli, a crazy season. So much so that Juve paid the 90 million clause for Pipita. Lukaku’s is a different situation; he is back from a complicated year at Inter Milan. Besides, Romelu is not from the Nerazzurri, but from Chelsea….”
Would you sell Vlahovic to buy Lukaku?
“If they think that at this moment it is better to have a nine in the group with Lukaku’s characteristics rather than one with Vlahovic’s, they will find the right solution for everyone. I like Dusan a lot. Vlahovic is young, but he has so much potential and at Fiorentina he showed great things. In Turin, where the jersey is heavier, he still has to find continuity. Lukaku has more international experience, he is a made player.”
If Pogba moves to Arabia, Juve is thinking about Kessie, whom you crossed paths with at Barcelona.
“He would be a nice reinforcement for Juve. An important signing, for the club and for Allegri, was also the one-year renewal of Rabiot.”
Juve’s first top coup was Giuntoli. Will he be enough to lead the club back to victory?
“He is a great professional. When I played in Italy, little was heard of Giuntoli, but then talented half-known players always came to Napoli. This shows how good he is. He will be of help to Allegri and the club.”
Napoli for the post-Spalletti team has chosen Garcia, another former coach of yours. How does you see his arrival?
“Garcia loves the 4-3-3, in Europe and in Italy he has always achieved excellent results. Rudi has many qualities and is skilled at managing the group. It is a choice of continuity with Spalletti, who is an important loss anyway. If Osimhen stays they can also win the Scudetto again, why not?”
Roma is in its third year with Mourinho: where can it go?
“Mou has done a super job in these years, but as he says you need a wider and more quality squad to compete at the top. Yes, I see Dybala very happy.”
