Juventus playmaker Pjanic would have been perfect for Tottenham

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Juventus face Tottenham in Turin on Tuesday night.

Juventus playmaker Miralem Pjanic has claimed he rejected Tottenham Hotspur back in 2012 after Spurs targeted the Bosnian to replace the loss of Luka Modric. But right now, he would be the perfect addition to Mauricio Pochettino’s side.

The 27-year-old told the Telegraph in an interview on Monday that he decided to turn the north Londoners down back six years ago as he was happy with Juventus’ Serie A rivals Roma.

Four years on from Spurs’ rejection, Pjanic opted to leave Roma and join Juventus, where he did the double in his first season – winning the 2016-17 Serie A title as well as the Italian Cup.

He also helped Juve reach the final of the Champions League, only to be downed 4-1 by Real Madrid in Wales last summer. But it his fluency and class that would give Spurs an added edge in their side.

Spurs are lacking in a deep-lying midfielder who can add both goals and assists. Spurs four central midfielders – Harry Winks, Eric Dier, Mousa Dembele and Victor Wanyama – have mustered just one goal this season between them.

They struggle in the creative side of the game, too. The quartet have laid on three assists, two of which have come from England international Dier. Nicknamed the ‘Pianist’, Pjanic is the missing cog in Spurs well-oiled machine.

Adding a midfielder that can score and create, but also do the job of the four central midfielders is likely to be Pochettino’s summer mission. A move for Pjanic would destroy Spurs’ wage and transfer budgets, but he should be the player they look for.

The former Lyon star has scored five goals this season, adding nine assists in just 28 games. That means the 76-cap has had a hand in one goal every two appearances, whether that is scoring or creating a goal for a teammate.

That is obviously lacking in Spurs side, and if Pjanic does come available, Spurs should do everything they can to land the Juve star – despite a move being unlikely.

But Pjanic is the type of player Spurs need, and although Juve will almost certainly not sell him, Pochettino’s next transfer should be a player able to do what Pjanic has proven time and time again. He should be a model for Spurs next move.