Former Celtic hero Peter Grant has warned full-back Josip Juranovic he could end up in "a league that is never seen" if he joins Spanish outfit Espanyol.
The La Liga outfit are the latest club to be linked with Croatia right-back Juranovic after he became a World Cup star after a string of top performances in Qatar including a man of the match display against Brazil that helped his nation reach the semi-finals and eventually finish in third place. Serie A sides Monza and Torino, as well as Barcelona, Manchester United and Chelsea have all been touted with an interest in the Celtic star in the January window, with Espanyol also reportedly showing a "concrete" interest.
However, Grant reckons that a move to the relegation-threatened side would be a major downgrade for the Croat from the Champions League stage he can achieve at Celtic Park. Grant advised him to consider a move to the English Premier League before jumping into a deal with the Catalonian side.
He said on the Go Radio Football show: "I think he has been excellent. I think he has not let (the transfer speculation) affect him and I think his performances have shown that. I thought he had an excellent World Cup and last week was just one of those days.
"He didn't even expect to get on in the game, but it happened (injury) very early in the game to Greg and he was playing on the opposite side as well. It wasn't as if he threw his dummy out of the pram.
"I thought he has handled it exceptionally well. He has not spoken about anything and neither has his agent. The only thing that concerns me is when you are talking about Espanyol, what are you going for? Is it finance?
"It's only finance. I know, it's a nice place to live, but come on. There is no comparison when you are talking about football clubs. If I'm him I am wanting to play for one of the big ones from Celtic. Go to a Premier League club where people are watching you week in and week out with the big crowds."
Fellow pundit Mark Guidi argued that Juranovic could use the move to get a platform in La Liga to move to Real Madrid, Barcelona or the Premier League. However, Grant bluntly responded: "It's not Celtic. I look at La Liga and I'm thinking if you're going to England that are beamed around the world, he is going to a league that will never be seen.
"You have played in the Champions League and World Cup, and his performance tell you he can play. He doesn't need to go to Espanyol to sell himself."
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