Sead Hakšabanović has said that the experience of playing for Celtic will help him be a success with Stoke City. The 24-year-old joined the EFL Championship side on loan on transfer deadline day after spurning the option to join Greek side PAOK permanently.
Speaking to The Potters’ YouTube page, Hakšabanović said that Celtic have one of the biggest fanbases in the world and that the associated pressure will have improved him as a player.
“I came from a club with one of the biggest fanbases in the world. If you can do it there, you can do it here as well. When I was younger, I was a little bit shy and stuff like that when coming to a new club, but now I am more open and getting into the team more than what I was before.
“I just want to be here and play and hopefully take it back where it belongs.”
The comment about ‘doing it there’ is maybe a bit of a stretch from the Montenegro Internationalist as he didn’t really impress when given his opportunities at Celtic. Ange Postecoglou deployed him predominantly as an impact sub but Brendan Rodgers saw that he wouldn’t fit into his side, resulting in movement behind the scenes.
In 42 appearances for Celtic, the winger scored five goals and assisted on four occasions. There was something missing from his game that really stopped him from pushing on. Stoke City could be the making of the player and, hopefully, he can be a success there which will result in a higher fee to be received by Celtic next summer.
