Balzarini’s outlandish idea: Juventus should bring back 35-year-old free agent | OneFootball

Italian journalist Gianni Balzarini argues that Juventus should consider re-signing their former midfielder, Miralem Pjanic.

Since the start of the season, the Bianconeri have been suffering from a deficiency in the middle of the park, in terms of both quality and quantity.

The lack of depth became even more staggering following Luciano Spalletti’s appointment, as the new Juventus manager has been deploying Teun Koopmeiners at the back, and Weston McKennie as a wing-back, leaving Manuel Locatelli and Khephren Thuram without natural replacements on the bench.

Balzarini explains why Juventus would benefit from Pjanic return

In recent weeks, Locatelli and Thuram have been struggling to maintain consistent levels, which can also be attributed to the lack of rest.

Miralem Pjanic (Photo by Marco Bertorello / AFP) (Photo by MARCO BERTORELLO/AFP via Getty Images)

Therefore, Balzarini has tentatively suggested a cheap, short-term solution in the shape of Pjanic, who is currently a free agent.

“This Juve needs to raise the quality a bit,” wrote the journalist in his column for IlBianconero. “I’m throwing out a provocation, and I’ve been throwing it out there for a while now.

“Why not recruit a returning player like Miralem Pjanic, who’s currently out of action, a free agent who could be signed immediately and brought back into the fold, perhaps at the end of January or early February?

“The quality, especially in midfield, would certainly benefit,” concluded Balzarini.

Should Juventus consider Pjanic deal?

Pjanic signed for Juventus in the summer of 2016 following a memorable five-year spell at Roma. He immediately cemented himself as a regular starter in Max Allegri’s system, acting as Andrea Pirlo’s belated replacement in the Regista role.

After four years in Turin, the Bosnian left for Barcelona on a controversial swap deal that saw Arthur Melo heading in the opposite direction.

Sadly for the midfielder, what he described as a dream move swiftly turned into a nightmare, as his career has been on a downward spiral ever since. He has been a free agent since leaving CSKA Moscow in the summer.

Hence, at the age of 35, and after five years of a steep decline and four months of inactivity, bringing back Pjanic would be a risky decision, to say the least, as there might be little left out of the deep-lying playmaker who delighted the Allianz Stadium between 2016 and 2020.