The young and talented product of Akademija Pandev made a transfer to the Turkish club following the footsteps of Elif Elmas.
photo by FFM: Jani Atanasov celebrating a goal for Macedonia
The Strumica based club confirmed that midfielder Jani Atanasov has passed the medical test on Monday and later in the evening has signed a four year long contract with Bursaspor. According to local media, Bursaspor payed €600.000 to Akademija Pandev for the transfer.
Eighteen-year-old Atanasov is one of the brightest young Macedonian players. He has been capped for the U17, u18, U19 and U21 national teams and it is only a question when he will have his debut in the senior national team. This past season was his first in the Macedonian top tier and Jani had four goals and eight assist in 29 games, mostly in defensive midfield. Additionally he is also able to play in central and attacking midfield.
His new club Bursaspor is considered among the best organized in Turkey. Despite having a disappointing season which resulted into ending at the 13 place, it will still be a tough environment for Atanasov to win a spot in the team. He will most likely get little playing time in his first season, just like Elif Elmas in Fenerbahçe. It is a big step moving from the Macedonian to the Turkish top flight.