After Struggling to offload him before the transfer window slammed shut in Spain, Barcelona successfully sanctioned a one-year loan move for Miralem Pjanic to Besiktas. The Turkish Super Lig will witness the deadline day on 8th September and, as a result, were able to complete this deal in time.
Pjanic hardly featured for Barcelona in his debut campaign, only wearing the Blaugrana shirt for a total of 1,295 minutes last season. In those rare opportunities, the Bosnian playmaker failed to make a single goal contribution.
After falling out of favour with Ronald Koeman, Pjanic found himself restricted to the bench for most of the season.
As a result, the 31-year-old midfielder could only muster 30 appearances, only starting in 13 of them. With Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, club captain Sergio Busquets and even the ostracized Riqui Puig ahead of him in the pecking order, Pjanic was heavily linked with a move away from Camp Nou.
Following a lengthy but failed discussion with the Barcelona hierarchy to mutually terminate his contract, Pjanic finally secured a move to Besiktas. The deal is supposed to span one year, with no option to buy. The Turkish giants will reportedly pay €2.7m of his gargantuan salary.
Besiktas host Yeni Malatyaspor in the fourth league game of their 2021-22 season, on 11th September.
I would have liked him to tell me to my face. ‘You’re not for me.’ Face-to-face did not exist and I don’t understand it. It’s complicated because it is the first time, this has happened to me and that I have sent such a behaviour…
I am a player who can accept everything but I would always like it to be explained to me in person. Not as if nothing was happening and I was 15 years old…
The worst thing from the coach, which I believe was the total lack of respect, was this: Those who did not play would have intense training after matches. While the starters recovered for the next match. For those who did not play, the worst part for me is the coach was never there to watch them…
It’s the first time I have seen this… How can I change things, if he won’t come watch my training or see my attitude?… This is one thing, one of the ugliest that I have seen – for me it is very big lack of respect…
Miralem Pjanic on his time under Ronal Koeman at Barcelona
