Why Newcastle United should have done more for Marko Pjaca
The Chronicle Live have reported that Newcastle United nearly completed a move for on-loan Juventus star Marko Pjaca. The 23-year-old was linked with a move to Wolves and Fulham during the winter transfer window, but nothing materialised and he eventually stayed at Florentina.
However, while he will eventually return to Juventus in summer, the forward’s agent has revealed that Marko Pjaca wants no return to the Turin side, which is one of the many reasons why Newcastle United should have done more for a move.
The Magpies did break their transfer record to add Miguel Almiron to their ranks, but will the former MLS star’s presence be enough to pull them out of a relegation scrap?
That’s the question that most of the Toon Army is asking the club and given that they were in the race for the 23-year-old Croatian international, it’s now a what if situation. Like many before him and possibly many after him, Marko Pjaca hails from a brilliant Dinamo Zagreb youth set-up.
He graduated from the same academy as Luka Modric, Andrej Kramaric, Mateo Kovacic and Mario Mandzukic among so many others.
A move to Juventus beckoned, and the speedy winger followed in the footsteps of many before him with a move to the Serie A. But unlike many before him, the 23-year-old struggled during his time in Turin, managing to give just glimpses of his talent and ability on the ball.
A powerful winger with pace to burn, Marko Pjaca’s versatility allows him to play across the front-line even as a centre-forward. But it’s his eye for goal that Newcastle United would have welcomed, with the 23-year-old scoring 43 goals in 192 games so far, with a season-high of 11 for Dinamo Zagreb.
Since then things have petered out, and a series of loan spells haven’t helped his cause either, with moves to the Bundesliga and back to the Serie A.
For the Magpies, however, under Rafael Benitez, there was a chance that the Croatian winger could re-ignite his career and potentially find his way back into the fold. But things went another way and the move never materialised for either side, as Newcastle United added Miguel Almiron.
With the 24-year-old’s work permit finally approved, he could potentially make his debut against Wolves, which will be a huge boost for the club.
If Almiron does click together with Rafael Benitez’s tactics and formation, then in all likelihood few would remember the links to Marko Pjaca, but if he doesn’t, then who knows what might happen.