Soccer <\/p>\n
Kerim Alajbegovic wants to replicate the achievements of former Bosnia-Herzegovina hero Miralem Pjanic, after following in his footsteps by joining Juventus.<\/p>\n
The 18-year-old winger joined the Bianconeri from Bayer Leverkusen in a \u20ac40m deal earlier this month, having impressed during a loan spell at Salzburg last season.<\/p>\n
The winger was then a key part of the Bosnia-Herzegovina side that reached the round of 32 at this summer’s World Cup, eventually losing to the co-hosts, the United States.\u00a0<\/p>\n
He scored one goal and led all his team-mates for dribbles attempted (18) and completed (10) at the tournament, while also registering the joint-most chances created (four, alongside Esmir Bajraktarevic and Ivan Basic).<\/p>\n
And now, he is excited to play in the same shirt that Pjanic wore on 178 occasions during a four-year stint in Italy between 2016 and 2020, which brought four Serie A titles and a Champions League final appearance.<\/p>\n
“When Juventus call, it is truly difficult to say no,” Alajbegovic told Tuttosport.<\/p>\n
“It is one of the biggest clubs in the world and I am truly proud to wear this jersey. It’s true, knowing the club had faith in me was really, really important for me.<\/p>\n
“Pjanic was also important in my choice, because he was a Juventus player, and he had so much influence with this club.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“My father helped too. At the end of the day, it is what we all wanted and we’re happy.”<\/p>\n
Juve missed out on Champions League qualification last season after finishing a disappointing sixth in Serie A, with Roma and Como beating them to a top-four finish as AC Milan also fell short.<\/p>\n
\nPoint the way, boss! \u00a0pic.twitter.com\/C3A1824AGf<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 JuventusFC \ud83c\uddec\ud83c\udde7\ud83c\uddfa\ud83c\uddf8 (@juventusfcen) August 13, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n
But the Bianconeri opted to stick with Luciano Spalletti as their head coach for 2026-27, with Frosinone their matchday one opponents on August 23.<\/p>\n
And Alajbegovic’s early impression of Spalletti has been overwhelmingly positive, saying: “I can see in training how good Spalletti is, that he always wants perfection.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“It’s good to work this hard, because you learn something new in every session. You concentrate on the precision of the passing, the movement, the positioning. He is a top-level coach for me, and I can’t wait to keep learning from him.”<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n