After joining Besiktas on loan, Miralem Pjanic has accused Barcelona manager Ronald Koeman of insulting him. The midfielder had a difficult season at the Nou Camp, struggling to earn a regular starting spot and criticizing Koeman’s lack of communication.
Pjanic agreed to a £3.4 million (€4 million) pay cut in exchange for Barcelona continuing to pay him while he is on loan. Pjanic will also receive a £2.4 million (€2.75 million) salary from Besiktas, according to Bolavip.
‘The coach, yes,’ Pjanic said when asked if he felt insulted at Barcelona.
‘I couldn’t get used to the situation I faced last year. I knew I didn’t want it. I’m a player. I love playing football, this is what makes me happy. I always wanted to play for Barca but I didn’t expect the situation to get so complicated.’
Pjanic went on to say that Koeman was ‘destroying his confidence’ by not explaining why he wasn’t playing as much.
He continued: ‘There was a point that I was playing less, things were getting complicated. And when I played it was difficult physically and mentally to be well, because it was killing my confidence, because I had no communication with [Koeman].
‘It was very strange because a coach is the one who says who plays and who doesn’t, but there are different ways to do things. I am a player who can accept everything but I would always like to be told things face to face. Not as if nothing happened and I was 15 years old.’
Despite the hardships he faced in Barcelona, Pjanic has no regrets about his decision.
He said that ‘No, never. In life things that have to happen, happen. It is like that. I have fought all my life and my career, I am very ambitious, very competitive, I have reached the level of Juventus and Barca. I know that I can play for this team, they just haven’t given me the chance to compete, to join a group, to help more.’
Barcelona was keen for Pjanic to take a pay cut to save even more money. Gerard Pique, Sergio Busquets, and Jordi Alba have all had their salaries reduced, and the club has lost some key players, most notably Lionel Messi to Paris Saint-Germain.
Last season, Pjanic, who joined Barcelona for £55 million, was limited to just six domestic starts for the Catalan club due to injury.
Pjanic was unable to win any silverware at Barcelona despite winning many trophies at Juventus, including four Serie A crowns and two CoppaItalias. The 31-year-contract old’s at Barcelona is up in three years, but if he succeeds at Besiktas, he might be on his way to a permanent move.
