Sead Haksabanovic entered the World Cup shutdown glittering.
Now the Celtic star is being backed to sparkle even brighter when emerging back out from the World Cup closure by the coach who has described him as a diamond. Haksabanovic has shimmered already for the champions following his August move from Russian outfit Rubin Kazan. Having been afforded time to find his peak fitness by Ange Postecoglou ’s intricate selection alterations through a gruelling spell of fixtures, the attacker finished the last block of club matches with a serious bang,
Three goals in three games including a winner against Ross County in the sign off match before the shutdown put the cap on some highly-impressive showings. The 23-year-old’s form suggests he’ll be a huge player for Postecoglou in the months ahead and his first senior coach Jan Jonsson reckons the best is definitely yet to come. He was the manager at Halmstads in Sweden who gave Haksabanovic his big opportunity in Allsvenskan by playing him as a 15-year-old.
Jonsson is delighted to see Haksabanovic display the talents he identified and, having assessed his initial spell at Parkhead, he said: “It is right if you say that he is not at his best yet. Actually, coming up as a 15 year old, then the following year as a 16 year old, he played all of the games.
“So that means he is quite mature in terms of his game for his age in things like training situations, in his focus, in having both of his feet on the ground and working harder. He has matured quite early having been involved in the senior teams since he was so young, but the best years are still ahead of him.”
Spotting the talent and potential early while the youngster was still at school, the coach was instrumental in moulding the kid into a star who was quickly snapped up by West Ham to head to the English Premier League as an expensive teenager.
Jonsson had no doubts he wouldn’t be spending too long in Sweden as he explained: “It was clear for me Sead was going to go to a high level.
“Both the technique and the balance, he had those things from very early.
“I took him into the team at 15 years old and that made him the second-youngest to play in the Swedish league ever and I had to be a little bit clever with him and the club because I could see, even if not at first, that a giant club would come for him at some stage.
“When I say clever, I mean business-wise for the club. I didn’t play him only just to sell him, but at Halmstads, if you have a little diamond as a smaller club in Sweden, it is obvious you are going to try and get out as much as possible.
“At the same time, I worked closely with Sead and his dad and his family because I was trying to protect his interests as well. I think it has worked out well so far.
“There have been some movements for him. He ended up in West Ham and maybe it didn’t kick off for him straight away there. Then there was the special situation in Russia and now Celtic.”
The pair enjoy a bond due to their closeness in Sweden as Jonsson revealed: “We are both have our roots in the same home town in Halmstads, so, from time to time, we are meeting each other.”
There is no bias, however, in his assessments of Haksabanovic and the way he has adapted quickly and easily into Scottish football.
Jonsson had a fair idea that his former starlet was going to find the perfect home from home under Postecoglou.
During his days as a boss at Shimizu S-Pulse in a third spell in Japan, the Scandinavian came up against the Aussie while he was the gaffer at Yokohama Marinos.
Jonsson pitted his wits against Postecoglou’s attacking style and said: “I knew the manager at Celtic a little bit having come up against him as a coach in Japan.
“That meant I knew that there would be a climate there that would mean Sead would fit well into the footballing idea. Creative players can have a good time with that and I thought that it be right for Sead at Celtic and could help him develop again.”
Given his performance so far, the fee of around £2.4 million which Hoops chiefs are believed to have paid Rubin for him appears an absolute steal.
As markets across Europe expand and players go for astronomical fees, the value for money in the Montenegrin international looks superb.
Of course, the situation surrounding the Russian invasion of Ukraine and subsequent moves by FIFA to allow individuals to suspend contracts and move away from clubs in the region may have been a factor in the eventual purchase price.
Nonetheless, when asked if Celtic got a snip at the price, Jonsson said: “Perhaps it was the situation with the Russian clubs, but maybe it was a little surprising yes, even though it was a strange world at the moment when it was happening.
“But Sead is an excellent little player and that is obvious. There is something natural about Sead with his touch and physique. That body balance and view on the game. It’s very good and I think he is only going to get better.”
