How Sead Haksabanovic would fit into Celtic’s already-stacked attack would have been a reasonable query when Celtic paid an estimated £2million to sign the Montenegrin winger from Rubin Kazan in the final weeks of the summer transfer window.
An outcast from Kazan’s squad after a loan back to Sweden where he made his international breakthrough, he seemed like a player short of a home, and Celtic reportedly refused an offer on the attacker earlier in the window, only meeting the Russian side’s valuation a month later in a cut-price deal.
Given the early season form of Jota in particular, but all of Celtic’s regular forwards, it seemed like the former West Ham prospect could be, at best, a backup option for the foreseeable, merely taking the place of Mikey Johnston in the first-team squad as an auxiliary winger to cover for the inevitable wear-and-tear of the other offensive options.
However, at a time when most of Celtic’s previously-free-flowing attackers have hit something of a dry spell, the Montenegro attacker has been indispensable in taking on Celtic’s creative burden.
The winger terrorised Hibs yesterday in an explosive first half that saw Celtic accelerate into a three goal lead with all the goals coming down Haksabanovic’s left-flank, his inch-perfect assist for the opener was one of many highlights of his display on his third straight start for the club.
His adaptability has been a feature of these starts too, he deputised as one of the two midfield 8’s to allow Matt O’Riley to sit deeper against St Johnstone and RB Leipzig, with his technical proficiency and ball-carrying a constant in everything good about Celtic’s attacking displays in those two matches.
With Callum McGregor estimated to be out until the World Cup, there’s plenty scope for the winger to play anywhere across Celtic’s offensive line behind the striker with O’Riley starting in the captain’s default 6 position in the last three games.
Even from his first cameo away to Ross County in the Premier Sports Cup, Haksabanovic has utterly menaced opposition defenders in his short Celtic career – and was involved in Celtic’s opener in his surprise first start away to Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League. Of Celtic’s players to have featured in the Champions League matches so far, he has looked as fit for elite level as any of his teammates.
Goals will surely come too, his constant involvement in Celtic’s wide rotations and unwavering attacks makes this an inevitability, but he also displayed a discipline in his shot-taking that adds to his effectiveness – he hasn’t looked in an any way desperate to register his first strike for the club.
Should he make good on his early promise for the rest of the season and beyond, he’ll surely be considered one of the great Celtic bargain signings in recent times. Still only 23, there’s still plenty of growing and coaching for Haksabanovic to undergo. If he stays fit, he’ll only get better from here, and that’s the most exciting thing of all.
In other news: Hibs captain Hanlon hails Postecoglou’s style of play after Celtic Park hammering
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