Football moves very fast, too fast. Since his departure from Olympique de Marseille, Nemanja Radonjić has had difficulty maintaining a certain stability in his career. However, he had managed to shine for a while under the Torino jersey, even becoming a strong element in the playing system of the Croatian coach, Ivan Juric, by gleaning the nickname “MaRadonjic”. Unfortunately, the native of Niš had fallen back into his demons, even losing his starting place. A conflict then arose with his coach who did not miss an opportunity to point the finger at him violently in the Italian press. Excellent impact during the 2023-24 season then the usual and incessant tantrums and arguments with his coach, even going as far as two exclusions without pay from the group. And in the winter transfer window 2023, his departure from Turin seemed obvious and it was done in the last hours of January.
This transfer window represented a great opportunity for the Serbian international to leave, who had become persona non grata in Piedmont after multiple setbacks and other standoffs with his management and staff. Several European teams had come forward to Torino, notably in Italy with Monza, but also in Greece with a strong interest from Olympiakos who were unable to win the deal. But it was in Spain that Nemanja Radonjić settled down, more precisely in Mallorca, as we revealed to you exclusively. After yet another disappointing experience during a loan (only fourteen appearances in Spain), the Mallorca management were not motivated by the idea of keeping him. The Bermellones did not activate the purchase option included in the loan, while the Granata are preparing to sell the Serbian international off.
“He has great mental limitations”
According to our information, Torino, which has begun a major transition with a new sports project led by coach Paolo Vanoli who replaced Ivan Jurić, is looking to get rid of Nemanja Radonjić, under contract until June 2025. He was not present with the professional group in Pinzolo, a small town in the province of Trento, for the team’s summer preparation. Unfortunately for the Granata, the teams are not rushing to secure the services of the Niš native. As we revealed exclusively, negotiations were well advanced with Red Star Belgrade (an interest that had also been confirmed by the Serbian club’s sporting director) but the discussions ultimately did not come to fruition. According to our indiscretions, the former OM player has nevertheless received sirens from Major League Soccer franchises, but especially from Persian Gulf teams, particularly Qatar, who are ready to welcome Nemanja Radonjić. Torino have received positive interest from these clubs, but the 28-year-old has not yet given any indication of his desires today.
Asked recently, the sporting director of the Piedmontese club, Davide Vagnati, did not mince his words about his 28-year-old player: “I heard from him a few days ago, he is a guy with a good heart. Unfortunately, he has great mental limitations, perhaps also in terms of the workload that he cannot cope with throughout the week. He often needs rest, unfortunately it is not the fault of Torino or the coach. For some objectives you always have to be at your best. He is not even a child anymore, if he changes teams often, there is obviously a problem, but I try to see the glass half full. We did not invest an exorbitant amount, he gave us a helping hand and made us win a few games” he said. Contacted by French Football Weeklya Torino manager who spoke on condition of anonymity told us that Nemanja Radonjić was one of the most complicated players he had to manage in his career. The trend is clearly towards a sale or a loan. It remains to be seen whether Radonjić will still block his departure or accept the inevitable. In any case, his future is written, logically, further and further away from the Mole…
