‘I never expected that’ – Miralem Pjanic fires parting shot at Barcelona after sealing transfer to UAE side Sharjah
FORMER Barcelona star Miralem Pjanic has hit out at the club after leaving for United Arab Emirates based side Sharjah FC.
The central-midfielder joined the Catalan giants back in 2020 and stayed for two seasons but last year he was on loan at Besiktas.
Barca then forced Pjanic out the club amid their financial difficulties as they looked to cut the wage bill.
It resulted in him having his contract ripped up despite two years remaining on it so he could join Sharjah FC on a free.
Pjanic has spoken of his shock at the situation saying: “I thought it was the right choice to sign for a club like Barca, but I didn’t know it was like that at the time.
“It was very complicated. I never expected to experience such a difficult situation. I never expected that.”
READ MORE IN FOOTBALL
The Bosnian had an underwhelming spell at the Nou Camp playing just 30 times for the club and never scoring.
He was one of many Xavi tried to shift this summer to varied success, such as Martin Braithwaite and Memphis Depay.
Frenkie de Jong was another that the club tried to get to take a pay cut.
Looking back before the most recent summer, club legends like Lionel Messi and Luis Suarez were both forced out of Barcelona in recent years while Pjanic was there.
Most read in Football
FREE BETS AND SIGN UP DEALS – BEST NEW CUSTOMER OFFERS
The 32-year-old also spoke about the state of another of his former clubs Juventus.
The Italian side have been in poor form in the last couple of seasons and pressure is building on manager Max Allegri.
Pjanic said: “Juventus is now highly criticised, the players have to take responsibility because the coach cannot always be to blame.
“They have a very good coach, sometimes the criticism is exaggerated. You have to find a balance and the players have to understand that you have to give more.”
Pjanic got his Sharjah career off to a positive start scoring on his debut in the UAE Pro League.
He is joined at the club by another ex-Barcelona star in Paco Alcacer.