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News
‘Good addition’: Recruitment boss thinks he’s signed an excellent dribbler from Celtic this summer
Sead Haksabanovic sealed a summer move out of Celtic on transfer deadline day as the Montenegro international looked to get more first-team action.
The 24-year-old winger created a bit of a storm after taking to social media to vent his displeasure at not ‘feeling valued’ by Celtic.
The post was roundly criticised by Celtic fans and media pundits and from that moment, his time at the club was up.
Demand for the winger was high and at one point he was involved in a tug-of-war between Stoke City and Greek club, PAOK. But the English Championship side won the day and their Head of Recruitment, Jared Dublin revealed the reasons why The Potters took a chance on him.
Dublin said [], “Sead is more of a tight dribbler, jinking type. Maybe he’s not one who is going to run with it the length of the pitch but someone who can drop a shoulder and sit someone down and maybe provide the last pass.
“We think it’s a good addition for us as we look to give Alex (Neil) the maximum amount of options and headaches possible.
“He’s a bit different to what we’ve got, profile wise, he’s probably someone who can stay on the ball a bit more. He’s comfortable in a variety of positions, which you will have seen has been a recurring theme in recruitment.
“He’s somebody who has statistically and historically produced goals and assists and eventually, for all the good football you play, you need someone who can back it up and somebody who’s got that proven quality, which we’ve found with Sead.
“He’s very big on the tactical side of the game so him and Alex Neil is like a match made in heaven considering what Alex is like. And he does fit the profile that Alex has always had in his team; technical players, players who give you a goal threat from the edge of the box, flexible players across the front line.”
Haksabanovic certainly has the quality to be a very good impact player but, at Celtic, he failed to impress whenever he got the opportunity in the Hoops starting lineup.
The attacker showed flashes of brilliance last season but, ultimately, he didn’t do enough to hold down a regular first-team spot ahead of the likes of Daizen Maeda, Jota or Liel Abada. To put it simply, his goal and assist ratio just wasn’t good enough.
Now at Stoke, Haksabanovic will be hoping to prove his doubters wrong and help his new club in their bid to become an English Premier League club again.
Whether he will cope with the fast-paced environment of England’s second tier remains to be seen because if his time in Glasgow tells the Stoke fans anything, for all his skill, Haksabanovic can struggle with the real blood and thunder of the physical side of the game.
In other news, International manager is about to leave, 22-year-old Celtic player could stand chance of call-up/debut now