Celtic have plenty of returning loanees this summer who will either be keen to impress Brendan Rodgers in pre-season or move on to a new challenge.
For now, it is hard to see where the Irishman values existing players on the books at Parkhead as preparations for the new campaign are still a few weeks off. Here on 67 Hail Hail, we do our best to contribute to the wider conversation.
Sead Haksabanovic has rarely been mentioned since leaving Celtic last summer on loan to Stoke City amid a storm over an Instagram post where he showed his frustration at a lack of regular minutes at the club.
Brendan Rodgers was ‘surprised’ by the revelation; however, time has moved on, and he will be due back at Lennoxtown after his spell at the Bet365 Stadium came to an end. The main question on everyone’s lips will be, what happens next with Haksanabovic at Celtic? Let’s take a look, shall we?
Sead Haksabanovic’s loan spell at Stoke City
Predominantly a left winger, Haksabanovic is a silky customer who has the propensity to thrive in tight situations; nevertheless, his end product at Stoke left a little to be desired. He registered one goal and two assists in 23 appearances at the Sky Bet Championship outfit [Transfermarkt].
On a positive note, he created 28 chances on league duty alongside completing 17 successful dribbles, achieving a success rate of 73.8% in this field, per Fotmob.
There is no shortage of quality with the 25-year-old; he is a very talented footballer. Regardless, the Montenegro international did struggle to break in ahead of Jota and Daizen Maeda at Celtic in 2022/23 despite notching five goals and four assists in 42 outings.
Sometimes in football, some things just take a turn in a certain direction due to circumstance. Haksabanovic was effective at times under Ange Postecoglou, but his loyalties lay with the two men mentioned above the majority of the time, which paid dividends if you look at the situation objectively.
Sead Haksabanovic faces an intriguing summer ahead
Back in April, reports emerged stating that Celtic would be willing to accept a fee in the region of £2.2 million for Haksabanovic this summer.
Whether a suitor would pay that remains to be seen, though it does feel like his time at Parkhead has come to an end, seeing as the parting of the ways wasn’t exactly harmonious between him and Rodgers.
Stranger things have happened, and who knows, there could be a scenario where he features in pre-season, but with Celtic likely to add in his area, it may push him further down the pecking order.
Looking ahead to the transfer window, Haksabanovic’s situation could be one to watch over the coming weeks.