Paratici: Mihajlovic was close to getting Juventus job earlier in his career

Bologna coach Sinisa Mihajlovic was close to getting the Juventus job earlier in his career, according to sporting director Fabio Paratici.

The Bianconeri’s sporting director admitted that he was close to appointing Mihajlovic as the coach at Allianz Stadium and said it was a “relief” to see him back in the dugout at Bologna.

“It was very nice to see him on the bench, a relief,” he told Tuttosport. “I am a friend of Sinisa, a very good friend.

“And I confess, he was very, very close to becoming the Juventus coach, even though I won’t reveal exactly when.”

Mihajlovic is back in charge of Bologna after announcing earlier this year that he was fighting cancer.

“He is a warrior, I knew that,” Paratici added. “Now I got another confirmation.”

Juventus chose to appoint former Napoli coach Maurizio Sarri as the successor to the very successful Massimiliano Allegri and Paratici said his style convinced them.

“In the previous years, he had hit us with Napoli, and we had felt on our own skin how good he was,” said the 47-year-old. “Then he played great football in a difficult environment at Chelsea and in the Premier League. It’s not easy to be a foreigner in a different kind of football.

“He finished third and won the Europa League. A mix of these things led to us considering him as the ideal Juventus coach, from the beginning. He was our first choice.”