Celtic’s move for Sead Haksabanovic did not grab the headlines that it should have, thanks to the frenzy of making a return to the Champions League and being drawn in the same group with 14-time winners, Real Madrid, in what will be one of the glamour ties of the competition this time around.
The Haksabanovic deal is certainly worth discussing in detail though, simply because of how many elements are involved in it.
The Montenegro international was one of the best players in the Swedish league before his move to Rubin Kazan last summer for a transfer fee believed to be around €6.5 million. It did not work out for him there though and just a year later, the Russian club are believed to have let him join Celtic for a fraction of that, believed to be somewhere in the range of €2 million. In the past, Haksabanovic has had a failed stint at West Ham United as well, who he joined as a teenager.
Thus, it is safe to say that despite Haksabanovic’s unquestionable potential, there is some risk involved in this deal for Celtic, as there are question marks about his ability to perform at the top level. Ange Postecoglou seems to be clear on the reasons why the club have brought him in though.
Postecoglou explains Celtic’s decision to sign struggling Haksabanovic
As reported by 67 Hail Hail, Postecoglou said while speaking on Celtic’s official YouTube channel:
"“He’s a good player. He’s got good experience for a relatively young age, at club level and international level. He can fill a number of spots in our system. He is really determined and ambitious to have a really strong career for himself.“From my perspective, it is all about, do I see him fitting into our style of play? I think he does. Secondly, I look at what sort of person they are and what sort of motivation it is that they have.“With Sead, as soon as we showed our interest he was really keen to make the move happen. It wasn’t the easiest of moves to coordinate, but he was really determined to join our football club. That’s a good sign for us because it means he’s coming to us for the right reasons I think he will be a good asset for us. He adds to our depth for the front half of our team. At 23 years of age, his best is definitely ahead of him.”"
It remains to be seen if Haksabanovic is able to produce his best in a Celtic shirt. There is no doubt about his talent and potential but now, it will all be about piecing it together and actually producing on the pitch at the very top level.
Is Haksabanovic capable of doing that? We will know soon enough, although it is expected to take him some time to be match fit, as he was training on his own before the move.