Has Juventus Signed A Raw Diamond In Croatian Midfielder Marko Pjaca?

By Ewah Chika.

Juventus are the busiest Seria A club in this transfer market having signed Dani Alves and Miralem Pjanic and Marko Pjaca of Dinamo Zagreb.

It is only natural that Juventus will further strengthen their squad this summer after winning the Seria A four straight times with only one Champions League final appearance to show for all their huge investments since gaining promotion to the Seria A from Seria B in 2007.


Pjaca is rarely known outside Croatia after making just over 100 minutes for Croatia in the just concluded Euro 2016 in France . The Dinamo Zagreb attacking midfielder only started one game and that was in Croatia's last group match against Spain which they won 2-1 before losing to eventual winners In the second round . At the end of the game, the midfielder showed glimpses of his ability creating one chance, attempting eight and successfully completing seven take-ons and having one shot on target. The midfielder's best position is slightly behind the main striker in a 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-3 formation or either as a supporting striker or in the forward left position in the same formation where he can easily cut inside and shot with his deadly right foot.

"I want to pay my players a big compliment for their fight and performance, they showed their quality. I know that Dinamo have a very young side, and I think Ante Coric and Pjaca are exceptional talents and they will definitely have big careers," were the words of Bayern Munich coach Pep Guardiola after his side beat Dinamo 2-0 in Zagreb in December. Last season in the Champions League where Dinamo did not get past the group stage, the Croatian completed one dribble per game  creating 0.7 chances per game and completing 75% of his passes. This was nothing compared to his exploits in the Europa League in the 2014/2015 season where he scored a hat-trick in a 4-3 win over  Scottish champions Celtic. That season, the Croatian finished with 14 goals in 47 appearances in all competitions as Dinamo Zagreb won the Croatian league title for the 10th consecutive time.

The player who is likely to replace departing Juan Cuadrado in Max Allegri's starting eleven is a different player to the Colombian. Pjaca is not a good crosser of the ball nor is he blessed with pace and physically, rather the player is a good shooter of the ball and one who likes to take on defenders. This often marks him out as one that is regularly fouled and also a player who retains  possession and useful when looking for a goal or time wasting. Juventus will be signing a quality player in the Croatian although his transfer fee of €23 million is miles ahead of the €1 million Dinamo paid Lokomotiva for his services in 2014. At a young age of 21, Pjaca is already a star studded Croatian team regular having earned 10 caps since his debut in 2014 (a team which boasts big names like Ivan Perisic, Brozovic, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic). The player is even ranked ahead of Real Madrid's Mateo Kovacic in the national team with over 60 Croatian league appearances scoring an impressive 19 goals. Pjaca's versatiliy will also make it easy for him to play alongside either of Juventus forward's Mario Mandzukic or Paulo Dybala if the need arises.

"I am making my dreams come true. One of those was fulfilled when I earned a national team call-up; another would be to win the Champions League, to lift that trophy," the midfielder said some months ago.

Although he is far from the finished product, Juventus will be signing a quality player and if given the support and patience will develop into one of the best midfielders in the world, given his talent and displays, but in order to do the midfielder must stop over doing certain things or trying so much to impress when a pass is just what is needed.