Things haven’t worked out for the striker since his £6.8million move from Pittodrie last summer
After leaving Aberdeen, Bojan Miovski would have dreamed of a stellar debut season at Girona to help fire them to Champions League qualification for the second season running.
But instead, the North Macedonia frontman has barely been able to make his mark in a team that are now staring at RELEGATION from La Liga for the second time in six years.
The Catalonia side forked out £6.8million for Miovski last summer, with the Aberdeen receiving a club record fee for their idolised talisman.
The former MTK Budapest striker hit an impressive 44 goals in 94 games across his two seasons in the Granite City, and it was hoped he would be able to contribute to Girona’s tally to help fill the void left by last year’s Pichichi Trophy (La Liga’s top scorer award) winner Artem Dovbyk, who won a blockbuster £32.7million switch to Roma in Serie A.
However, Miovski has simply found himself on the periphery of Miguel Angel Sanchez Munoz’s plans. The forward started four of Girona’s eight matches in the revamped Champions League but has been restricted to just 15 appearances in La Liga, scoring twice.
Miovski suffered an injury that kept him out of six games over the winter but has made just three starts since the turn of the year.
The 25-year-old has watched on from the bench as an unused substitute in the last three matches as Girona’s form continues to plummet. Less than a year on from their shock third place finish, 10 league games without a victory has seen them slump to 16th place, just three points above the relegation zone with six games remaining.
Pressure is now growing on the Girona’s owners the City Group – who are led by Pep Guardiola’s brother Pere and hold a 47% stake in the club – to bite the bullet and sack boss Michel to try to fend off the threat of relegation to the Segunda Division.
And that could come as welcome news to Miovski. Despite his lack of minutes, the Dons hero sent a timely reminder of just what he can do in front of goal by scoring in both of North Macedonia’s World Cup qualifiers in the March international break.
The striker bagged his team’s third goal in a 3-0 victory against Lichtenstein before appearing to get the winner against Wales three days later, only for the Dragons to snatch a share of the spoils with a 96th minute leveller.
While some of Miovski’s detractors may argue that he hasn’t been able to make the step up to La Liga from the Scottish Premiership, Aberdeen fans in particular will point out that Girona simply haven’t played to his strengths when he has been on the field.
In his prolific spell in the Granite City, Miovski thrived off making penetrating runs in behind to race clear and score from one on one situations.
He has managed just four goals in 23 matches in all competitions this season but in a 4-1 victory against local rivals Espanyol back in November, demonstrated just how effective he can be with the right service.
Bojan Miovski scores twice and bags an assist for Girona against Espanyol
Miovski set up Bryan Gil for the opener before his instinctive movement inside the box saw him bag a brace in Girona’s four goal haul inside the first 27 minutes of the first half that effectively wrapped up the three points.
The Macedonia star’s – who had netted eight times in 31 caps for his country – underwhelming impact in Spain has got some rival fans in Scotland scoffing at the fact that Aberdeen were able to bank nearly £7million for Miovski last summer.
But any fan of a red and white persuasion will tell you without the frontman last season, the Dons could have found themselves in even more trouble after missing out on the top six in the Premiership.
It remains to be seen if the forward can prove those detractors right, but one thing is for sure, the Pittodrie hero looks like he has got a job on his hands to cement himself in a side that are a world away from where they imagined they would be at the start of the campaign.
