On the day of the transfer deadline, Sead Haksabanovic received his wish as he was sent out from Celtic to Stoke City.
After expressing on social media at the beginning of the season that he felt underappreciated at the Hoops and that he wasn’t “in the right place” in Glasgow, the Montenegrin departed under cloudy circumstances. He was signed by Ange Postecoglou, but after spending most of the previous season on the bench, he became irate with Brendan Rodgers.
Before rumors of a transfer outburst began to circulate, the Northern Irishman gave Haksabanovic a total of 45 minutes of playing time in the Premiership and Viaplay Cup against St. Johnstone and Kilmarnock, respectively. The 24-year-old was initially being courted by Greek team PAOK, but Stoke quickly intervened and arranged a temporary swap.
Haksabanovic said he was excited to join the Potters and was ready to face the new challenge that lay before him. But his luck has declined since he joined the English Championship team, despite a respectable start to his career.
With a goal and an assist in his first five league games, he started four of them, possibly indicating manager Alex Neil’s intention to use Haksabanovic frequently.
Unfortunately, though, the winger has only managed to play two minutes of football in Stoke’s last three games and hasn’t even been used as a substitute against Sunderland and Leeds United.
His Celtic career is all but over; therefore, it’s unclear if he can push his way back into Neil’s plans.