Celtic have wrapped up their newest Parkhead arrival, with Rubin Kazan winger, Sead Haksabanovic the champions’ eighth major deal of the summer.
What’s the word?
The Glasgow side have only recently announced that the 23-year-old has joined the club, with Hoops boss Ange Postecoglou having admitted last weekend that the move for the Montenegro international was “getting close”.
The former West Ham United winger – who made just two senior appearances during his time in England – only arrived at his now former club on a £6m deal last summer, although is now set to depart the Russian outfit for a fraction of that cost.
Following that switch, journalist Pete O’Rourke – in an interview with Football FanCast – has provided his verdict on the deal, insisting that the 28-cap gem could well fashion an “exciting” partnership with current talisman, Jota.
Asked about that potential attacking duo, the transfer insider stated:
“Yeah, for sure that’s got real exciting potential. Those are two players who are very skilful, attack-minded, they want to score goals, they want to create goals and seeing those two in the same team can be an exciting prospect for Celtic fans.
“They can provide the ammunition for Kyogo [Furuhashi] upfront as well. Celtic are going to need goals this season if they are to achieve their aims and they’ll be hoping that Haksabanovic can offer something different than what they already have”.
Exciting duo
At present, Postecoglou’s go-to figure in attack remains that of the aforementioned Jota, with the fleet-footed Portuguese gem having sparkled since his initial loan move to the club last summer.
The 23-year-old – who has since been signed on a permanent deal – scored 13 goals and provided 14 assists in his debut campaign with the Old Firm outfit, with that haul of 27 goal contributions the highest of any player in the Celtic squad last term.
The Lisbon-born has carried that rich vein of form into the new season, having scored twice and provided three assists in just four league appearances thus far, notably registering a hat-trick of assists in the win over Ross Country a few weeks ago.
Will Haksabanovic be a success at Celtic?
Yes!
No, not convinced
Lauded as a “striker’s dream” by BBC pundit Marvin Bartley, the former Benfica ace offers both a real creative spark as well as the ability to produce something out of nothing, having netted a stunning long-range effort in the win over Aberdeen on the opening weekend.
Adding Haksabanovic into the mix could well see the Scottish Premiership outfit wreak even more havoc, with it a hugely exciting thought at having two such impactful forwards terrorising defences from opposing flanks.
The 5 foot 9 gem has showcased that quality in his career to date, having notably registered 46 goal contributions in just 76 games during his time at IFK Norrkoping, having also provided 23 goal involvements in 70 appearances at fellow Swedish outfit Halmstads.
His most recent stint on loan at Djurgardens also saw the forward score twice and provide two assists in just 11 outings, with Postecoglou and co having got their hands on a player who can make the difference in the final third.
Equally, the winger’s ability to also feature in an attacking midfield role will see him offer the 56-year-old ‘something different’, as O’Rourke alluded to, with the Parkhead outfit in need of a new creative spark following Tom Rogic’s departure.
Having grown somewhat reliant on Jota of late, it could well be vital to have another weapon in tow such as Haksabanovic who can also deliver the goods.