Failed moves abroad and leaving Russia because of war have left me feeling older than my years
HAKSABANOVIC, 23, IS THRILLED TO START OVER AT CELTIC AFTER SOME ROUGH TIMES
WITH the turmoil and upheaval he has faced in his relatively short career, it’s no wonder Sead Haksabanovic already feels older than his 23 years.
Following unsuccessful spells at West Ham and Malaga, the Montenegrin had not long joined his fifth club, Rubin Kazan, when Russia invaded Ukraine earlier this year. Unsurprisingly, it changed everything.
With his family back home suffering sleepless nights while fretting over the winger’s uncertain situation at the Russian Premier League club, there was relief when FIFA stepped in and suspended his contract in March.
A three-month spell on loan with Swedish side Djurgardens followed before Haksabanovic faced a worrying wait while training alone to see whether or not he would be called back to Russia.
A permanent £2million transfer to Celtic last week for a player who cost Kazan £5.4m just 12 months ago from IFK Norrkoping, therefore, represented a welcome fresh start for the Swedenborn forward.
‘It was difficult. When I went to Russia, I was thinking I was going to stay there for one or two years,’ Haksabanovic recalled yesterday. ‘But when the war happened, it became a situation that no one had been in before.
‘My family was worried about me. Of course, in Russia, it was safe as nothing was happening in Russia. But my family couldn’t sleep at night.
‘That made me want to leave. I put that in front of my football, so I went to Sweden on loan for three months.
‘That was a decision I made for my family. I had to be close to them at that time. The whole situation was just not something anyone expected would happen.
‘There were six or seven of us foreign players who left the club, so it was a hard time for us and also for the team because they were relegated because of it.
‘Of course I was worried at the end of the season because you never know what is going to happen. What if I had to go back (to Russia) and my family would be worried again? I tried to stay positive.
‘But Rubin Kazan have always been good and they were honest to say they didn’t want to stop our careers. They wanted our careers to keep going, so that wasn’t a problem.’
Haksabanovic has faced other challenges in his career since starting out at Halmstads in Sweden. A £2.7m move to West Ham in 2017 did not work out. He also endured a difficult loan spell at Malaga before finding his feet at Norrkoping en-route to earning his big move to Russia. He believes each taste of adversity has been the making of him.
‘I moved out of my home when I was 18 and I left my family and friends behind,’ he recalled.
‘Ever since then I have been away from home. I was in Russia when the war started and that was not easy.
‘And when I was in Malaga, I never played and the coach never spoke to me. That was hard as well. But all that made me who I am. In my head, I feel like I am older than 23.’ Happily, Haksabanovic (left), can now focus on football and he is excited by the prospect of breaking into Ange Postecoglou’s ultra-attacking Parkhead team. On Sunday, Celtic thumped Dundee United 9-0 at Tannadice in what is a record home defeat in the modern Premiership era. It was a scoreline achieved without their new winger and last season’s joint-top Premiership scorer Giorgos Giakoumakis. And ominously for the rest of the top flight outwith Rangers, Haksabanovic has backed Celtic to hit double figures against an opponent. ‘I was very excited when I watched the game at the weekend because that is the way I want to play,’ he said. ‘I saw games before I came here and I thought: “I want to play that way”.
‘I have never been in a team that always attacks and always has the ball. Hopefully, it brings out the best in me.
‘When I saw Celtic play on Sunday, I felt like: “I want to be there playing. I want to make something happen”.
‘The team looked very sharp and I know it’s going to be hard to get a place in the team but that’s only good for me.
‘Could Celtic score ten goals in a match? I think so, yes.’
As a former team-mate of current Parkhead trio Joe Hart, Albian Ajeti and Carl Starfelt, Haksabanovic expects to settle in fast at Celtic Park.
He will wait until tomorrow’s Premier Sports Cup last-16 tie at Ross County is over before he asks them about the Old Firm derby ahead of Saturday lunchtime’s seismic showdown in the east end of Glasgow.
‘I played a season with Joe at West
Ham,’ he recalled. ‘I was out on loan when Albian was there but I met him for a few weeks.
‘I also know Carl from Russia with Rubin Kazan and it’s easier when you have people you know.
‘I’m a pretty chilled-out guy, though, and I don’t find it hard to make new friends.
‘I talk to everyone. I’ve been around, so I’ve learned a lot.
‘Carl was in touch when he heard the rumours about me signing for Celtic. I didn’t want to tell him too much as I wanted it to be low-key.
‘But he told me this club is incredible to play for and that living here in Glasgow and the way people treat you is great.
‘He hasn’t told me about the derby match yet and I haven’t asked as we are trying to focus on every game.
‘First, we have got Ross County in the cup and then we can look at the Rangers game.’