Transfer Profile: Aleksandar Pešić
With FC Seoul completing the signing of Serbian striker Aleksandar Pešić from Al-Ittihad, K League United spoke exclusively with Serbian football expert and journalist Miloš Marković from Sportske.net to get the low down on what K League fans can expect from the former Toulouse and Atalanta man.
(Image via Zimbio)
How was Pešić viewed at Red Star Belgrade? What about league wide?
Red Star Belgrade’s decision to fork out €750,000 in order to bring Aleksandar Pešić from Toulouse raised plenty of eyebrows. Transfer fees such as that one are usually considered quite hefty for Serbian standards and the general football-loving public had certain doubts about the forward. In the end, Pešić exceeded expectations at Red Star, going quite a distance from being an understudy for Richmond Boakye to becoming the Super Liga top scorer with 25 goals to his name in the 2017/18 season.
What are the strongest aspects of his game?
Aleksandar Pešić is a highly versatile player. He boasts fantastic physique and is quite mobile for a lad of his big frame. Not your average No.9, Aleksandar Pešić is a striker who likes to move around in the box and create chances both for himself and his teammates. 'Poacher' might be the best word to describe him as the 26-year-old Serbian will always find a way to get himself in a right place at a right time. He likes to drop back deep into midfield to take part in the build-up play and is also no stranger to scoring long-range beauties. An all-round striker who can play in a number of roles upfield.
Reason for leaving Red Star?
Finances before anything else. Serbian clubs struggle to make ends meet and will not hesitate to sell their prized possessions at an earlier opportunity to make a profit. Such a model works well for players as well who would often get unpaid or owed money from the clubs. I’m not saying this was the case with Pešić, however. Still, he brought a clean-cut profit of more than €3 million to his club by going to Al-Ittihad.
Do you know why he left Al-Ittihad?
Pešić was unlucky at his new club. A combination of injury and lack of playing time resulted in him never quite showing his true worth at Al-Ittihad. Once they invested €10 million in bringing in another Aleksandar, the Serbian international striker Prijović from PAOK, it became clear that Pešić was no longer in the manager's plans.
It’s also fair to say Pešić made the wrong choice by choosing Al-Ittihad in the first place and that it came back to haunt him mentally. His prime goal was to move to a European club but ended up rejected several approaches in order to help Red Star make some money.
“I did not want to be selfish and think of only my own interests. Red Star brought me back to life and I wanted to give something in return”, he told Serbian media upon his departure to Al-Ittihad.
Where do you think he will be best utilised with FC Seoul?
Pešić could become a focal point of FC Seoul’s forward line and emerge as an important player for the club. I believe he could best contribute in a centre forward role. If given a licence to roam across the forward line, Pešić could be a driving force of Seoul thanks to his impressive work-rate, unselfish style of play and fantastic agility. All he requires is belief in his ability and I’m certain FC Seoul can benefit greatly for investing some of it in Pešić.
What can K League fans expect from him?
With his quick pace, speed and the powerful shot, Aleksandar Pešić could bring the entertainment factor and I’m certain fans will love him. He is a team-oriented player who likes to assist as much as he loves to score and that’s a trait supporters can be especially fond of in general.
Best moment with Red Star?
Pešić was highly prolific at Red Star but if there is a single goal to be highlighted than it’s definitely the one he scored at Krasnodar in the UEFA Europa League play-off in August 2017. Red Star lost the first match 3-2 with Pešić setting the final score in the 71st minute with a goal that in the end proved to be a world’s difference in the aggregate score (4-4), thus allowing Red Star to qualify for the Europa League group stage.
(Image via Zimbio)
How was Pešić viewed at Red Star Belgrade? What about league wide?
Red Star Belgrade’s decision to fork out €750,000 in order to bring Aleksandar Pešić from Toulouse raised plenty of eyebrows. Transfer fees such as that one are usually considered quite hefty for Serbian standards and the general football-loving public had certain doubts about the forward. In the end, Pešić exceeded expectations at Red Star, going quite a distance from being an understudy for Richmond Boakye to becoming the Super Liga top scorer with 25 goals to his name in the 2017/18 season.
What are the strongest aspects of his game?
Aleksandar Pešić is a highly versatile player. He boasts fantastic physique and is quite mobile for a lad of his big frame. Not your average No.9, Aleksandar Pešić is a striker who likes to move around in the box and create chances both for himself and his teammates. 'Poacher' might be the best word to describe him as the 26-year-old Serbian will always find a way to get himself in a right place at a right time. He likes to drop back deep into midfield to take part in the build-up play and is also no stranger to scoring long-range beauties. An all-round striker who can play in a number of roles upfield.
Reason for leaving Red Star?
Finances before anything else. Serbian clubs struggle to make ends meet and will not hesitate to sell their prized possessions at an earlier opportunity to make a profit. Such a model works well for players as well who would often get unpaid or owed money from the clubs. I’m not saying this was the case with Pešić, however. Still, he brought a clean-cut profit of more than €3 million to his club by going to Al-Ittihad.
Do you know why he left Al-Ittihad?
Pešić was unlucky at his new club. A combination of injury and lack of playing time resulted in him never quite showing his true worth at Al-Ittihad. Once they invested €10 million in bringing in another Aleksandar, the Serbian international striker Prijović from PAOK, it became clear that Pešić was no longer in the manager's plans.
It’s also fair to say Pešić made the wrong choice by choosing Al-Ittihad in the first place and that it came back to haunt him mentally. His prime goal was to move to a European club but ended up rejected several approaches in order to help Red Star make some money.
“I did not want to be selfish and think of only my own interests. Red Star brought me back to life and I wanted to give something in return”, he told Serbian media upon his departure to Al-Ittihad.
Where do you think he will be best utilised with FC Seoul?
Pešić could become a focal point of FC Seoul’s forward line and emerge as an important player for the club. I believe he could best contribute in a centre forward role. If given a licence to roam across the forward line, Pešić could be a driving force of Seoul thanks to his impressive work-rate, unselfish style of play and fantastic agility. All he requires is belief in his ability and I’m certain FC Seoul can benefit greatly for investing some of it in Pešić.
What can K League fans expect from him?
With his quick pace, speed and the powerful shot, Aleksandar Pešić could bring the entertainment factor and I’m certain fans will love him. He is a team-oriented player who likes to assist as much as he loves to score and that’s a trait supporters can be especially fond of in general.
Best moment with Red Star?
Pešić was highly prolific at Red Star but if there is a single goal to be highlighted than it’s definitely the one he scored at Krasnodar in the UEFA Europa League play-off in August 2017. Red Star lost the first match 3-2 with Pešić setting the final score in the 71st minute with a goal that in the end proved to be a world’s difference in the aggregate score (4-4), thus allowing Red Star to qualify for the Europa League group stage.
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