Miralem Pjanic is Coming to Lyon

By: Inara | May 9th, 2008

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I’ve been waiting a while to report this because all I’ve been seeing so far are whispered rumors, but now all the newspapers are reporting it, and the player himself was seen at Lyon last Wednesday. But neither the player nor the respective clubs have made a formal announcement, so don’t get too excited yet.

I’ve mentioned Miralem Pjanic on this blog before, but only in passing, so here are some deets (I’ll write up a more detailed background if when there is a press conference).

He’s an 18 year old attacking midfielder playing for FC Metz, who will be relegated back to Ligue 2 at the end of this season. But despite the poor performance of his club, Pjanic has been outstanding and was often the sole bright light coming out of an otherwise doomed Saint-Symphorien.

Though it’s his breakout year, his quality is so obvious that the biggest clubs in the world have been watching him week in and week out - Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Chelsea, Inter, Milan, etc. And two weeks ago, Barcelona made a formal offer.

However, Pjanic is too young to leave France, and with his development at such a critical stage, he knows it would be best if he stayed near home for another few years. So he’s decided to pick Lyon, where he’ll get the best of both worlds - exposure, top level experience, the opportunity to play with many talented players, and a higher salary - all within a comfortable environment.

The financial and technical details of this transaction haven’t been announced yet, though the transfer fee will probably be around €8m (perhaps rising to €10m - Aulas is always generous with domestic clubs when it comes to transfer fees). No word either on the length of this contract, though some sources say it would be for 5 years. There is a persistent rumor that Pjanic will have the option to leave after three years, though I have a hard time believing it because that weakens Lyon’s position, and Aulas would never allow that. I guess we’ll find out soon though.

It’s always great news when your club buys the hottest (and genuine) talents available, especially when they beat bigger clubs to their signature, but I’m having a hard time getting excited. We have such a stacked midfield that it’s making me cross eyed. Let’s take a look at who we will have next year:

Mathieu Bodmer, Juninho, Ederson, Kim Kallstrom, Miralem Pjanic, Clement Grenier, Jeremy Toulalan, Fabio Santos, Marc Crosas

We can’t assume Kallstrom is leaving (though it seems likely). Grenier will probably spend his first year in the reserves, but given the level of hype, I’m sure he’ll get some time in cup matches. Toulalan and Fabio Santos are DMs, though when played together, one of them turns into a CM. As for Crosas, he’s supposed to be returning to Barca this summer, but Lyon have formally contacted Barca about keeping him (plus Crosas really wants to stay). So who knows how that will turn out.

Pjanic has embarrassed Lyon on more than one occasion.

Of course, there is the option of playing Pjanic as a winger (he’s like Ribery and Nasri in this regard), but Lyon have a lot of wingers as well. Pjanic coming to Lyon might finally force Hatem Ben Arfa to leave, which would be very bad news. Ben Arfa said recently that he wants to stay at Lyon, but only if he gets to play. Who can blame him? Lyon’s wingers:

Hatem Ben Arfa, Kader Keita, Sidney Govou, Cesar Delgado, Loic Remy, Anthony Mounier, Karim Benzema

Remy’s loan ends this June, and with Lens about to be relegated, there seems to be no chance that he’ll be staying there. Mounier will probably be in the reserves again this year, which is too bad because he’s a good player. And Benzema has on too many occasions played on the flank as well.

I’m glad that Pjanic is coming to Lyon. Really, I am. But I’m absolutely confused as to how all these players will be accommodated.