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Fullname: Sead Hakšabanović
aka: Sead Haksabanovic, Haksa
Born: 4 May 1999
Birthplace: Hyltebruk, Sweden
Signed: 25 August 2022 (from Rubin Kazan, est £1.7m)
On Loan: 1 September 2023 – 31 May 2024 (to Stoke)
Left: 26 June 2024 (to Malmo)
Position: Winger, Midfielder
Debut: Ross County 1-4 Celtic, League Cup, 31 Aug 2022
Squad No.: 9
Internationals: Montenegro
International Caps: [TBC at end of career]
International Goals: [TBC at end of career]
Biog
“Celtic are f*****g massive everywhere they go.”
Haksabanovic (June 2024)
Swedish born Saed Haksabovic was an interesting transfer in. He arrived from FC Rubin Kazan (Russia) who were recently relegated, and due to the then wartime situation due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, they were forced to cut him loose and so accept a cut-back transfer free from Celtic for an estimated £1.7m. He’d previously been on the books of West Ham when younger and then moved around, but had still made a number of appearances over the years for various clubs.
At a confident Celtic about to play in the Champions League group stages and defending their league title, he had a lot of competition to even just win a place in the first team.
Haksabanovic looked really sharp in his debut, v Ross County and provided a cross soon after for a goal in another match (v St Johnstone 2-1). So hit the ground running and from early on he was a highly respected addition to the side.
As a player, he had a strong athletic physique which he used to gain advantage, and had a good eye for a pass or assist. Despite strong competition he was a valued player who more than deserved his regular place in the side, developing under Postecoglu.
He scored a belter v Hearts to seal a 3-1 win (March 2023), coming across the edge of the corner of the box and curling one into the far corner, which got everyone off their seats. He deserved the recognition for that moment.
Concerns were being raised by some sections, that he was better when utilised as an impact sub (generally an unwanted position), and that he had little flattered in games when given a starting role in matches. So better once the opposition side were worn down.
Sent on loan
Into the new era under Brendan Rodgers, Haksabanovic remained still back in the queue, hindered by the rotation of players coming & going. It didn’t bode well for him but he needed to be patient. His blistering pace had caught the attention of various people, which was a great asset but now it seemed to be that to the coaches that there was little more to his game than eye-catching runs.
He seriously spoilt his reputation with all at the club following a childish & unnecessary social media post (via Instagram) sharing his frustrations at the Celtic management (despite being subbed on the day before) stating:
“If they [Celtic] don’t see your value maybe you’re not at the right place.”
Haksabanovic (Aug 2023)
Brendan Rodgers was a manager who generally kept any such issues away at arms length (in public at least), but in this case, he was uncharacteristically forthright with his comments to the media:
“I did speak to him on it. I was a bit surprised to be honest. Certainly from when I came in, he has been offered nothing but respect by everyone and certainly by myself in terms of the communication and conversations. But this is a new generation and a new wave of player. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Brendan Rodgers on Haksabanovic’s instagram post (Sep 2023)
Inevitably, with a few days left in the transfer window after that posting, he was moved on, and so was shipped out on loan to second tier Stoke (he held out against a permanent move to PAOK). It would have been more amicable to have left on a positive note with all as previously there was really no ill will towards him from the support, but it shouldn’t overshadow his time at Celtic.
His time at Stoke was mostly a failure, and unsurprisingly they promptly made it clear at the end of the loan that there was no way he was going to be brought back to Stoke. The sad truth is that on his return from loan, many Celtic fans hadn’t even realised he was still on the club’s books and had actually forgotten about him. With Celtic going on to have won the double under Rodgers, there wasn’t really any place back at Celtic for Haksabonovic.
Very soon on his return, he was shipped off and sold to Swedish club Malmo in June 2024. The first out the door that summer, and no one was surprised. Some opined some disappointment and felt that despite the failed signing, they rated him higher than the wingers transferred in over the past season. Although it must be noted that any player out of play for a long time seems to often have his reputation magnified heavily.
There’s no denying he was a very talented footballer who should have made more of an impact at Celtic. He’d had enough opportunities, but the game seemed to pass him by when he started in matches, better off coming off from the bench. To critics, he just didn’t have the right attitude to make it at Celtic. The application simply wasn’t there, and the parallel were there at Stoke too.
He seemed to baffle many with his view on why he was sold, when he had failed under two Celtic managers and also his last one at Stoke:
“Yes, mostly (it was down to) him (Rodgers), because the [Celtic] board wanted me to stay. They believed in me but he had other plans. Football-wise, I don’t think Malmo and Celtic are far apart. Malmo in Sweden is like Real Madrid in Spain.”
If you had to summarise why his time at Celtic didn’t work out, then it’s probably best summarised by online sports journalist Ryan McGinlay (TheCelticWay): “Turnovers, wastefulness and Instragram!“.
Regardless, we wished him the best.
Post-Celtic
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Quotes
“As soon as I heard that Celtic wanted me I said to my agent that he had to make it happen because this is where I want to play.”
Sead Hakšabanović
“It feels amazing. What I know about Celtic is only good things and I’m very happy to be here.”
Sead Hakšabanović (Aug 2022)
“Of course, I’m very excited to play in the Champions League, it’s the best competition you can play in and that’s a dream for me as a kid, so to see myself playing in that is very cool.”
Sead Hakšabanović (Aug 2022)
“A player who chooses style over substance, he’s got talent but would rather look good than play well, I prefer my wide players to be numbers guys, if they can look good while doing it (i.e Jota/Roberts) then great but give me a Sinclair/Forrest/Abada over Haksabanovic every day.”
Inside The SPFL @AgentScotland
“I did speak to him on it. I was a bit surprised to be honest. Certainly from when I came in, he has been offered nothing but respect by everyone and certainly by myself in terms of the communication and conversations. But this is a new generation and a new wave of player. It doesn’t matter to me.”
Brendan Rodgers on Haksabanovic’s instagram post (Sep 2023)
“So my time at Celtic has come to an end, earlier than I thought, expected & wanted but some other people had another opinion & I gotta respect that. I wanna thank the players, the staff & the fans because that is really what Celtic is about. We made some good memories together & I will always have love for Celtic. Good luck & Celtic are f*****g massive everywhere they go. All the best for the future ”
Haksabanovic on his departure via social media (June 2024)
“Yes, mostly (it was down to) him (Rodgers), because the [Celtic] board wanted me to stay. They believed in me but he had other plans. Football-wise, I don’t think Malmo and Celtic are far apart. Malmo in Sweden is like Real Madrid in Spain.”
Haksabanovic to fotbollskanalen, with some very naive if not deluded comments on his departure (June 2024)
Playing Career
| APPEARANCES (subs) |
LEAGUE | SCOTTISH CUP | LEAGUE CUP | EUROPE | TOTAL |
| 2022-23 | 26 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 40 |
| Goals | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| 2023-24 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Goals | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Total | 27 | 5 | 4 | 6 | 42 |
| Goals | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
Honours with Celtic
(Honours are marked below in which the player has played in at least one of the matches in the campaign.)
Pictures
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Notes
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Articles
HAKSABANOVIC AIMS TO COPY LEGEND LARSSON
By CQN Magazine on 25th August 2022 Latest News
NEW Bhoy Sead Haksabanovic sealed his anticipated switch to Celtic from Rubin Kazan today.
And the 23-year-old Sweden-born winger admitted he was going to have a crack at following in the footsteps of his countryman Henrik Larsson at Parkhead.
Haksabanovic, who has won 28 caps for his adopted nation Montenegro, is thrilled to sign a five-year contract at Ange Postecoglou’s champions and can’t wait to get started.
The versatile forward, who will wear the No.9 shirt, said: “It feels amazing. What I know about Celtic is only good things and I’m very happy to be here.
“I heard about it around a month ago and as soon as I heard that Celtic wanted me I said to my agent that he had to make it happen because this is where I want to play.
“It’s an amazing club with good players, fans and history.
“I’ve been watching some games and I think the team play in the same style as me.
“I’ve been speaking to the manager, as well, and we had a good chat, speaking about how he sees me as a player and how he wants me to fit into his system and everything sounded good, so that was it for me.”
Discussing what he can bring to the Hoops, Haksabanovic, speaking to Celtic TV, continued: “I’m a playmaker with some flair, I’m good in one-on-ones, I have a powerful shot, I’m quick and I’ll give everything for this club.
“The team are doing great and I want to be part of that and make the fans, the club and myself happy.
“Of course, I’m very excited to play in the Champions League, it’s the best competition you can play in and that’s a dream for me as a kid, so to see myself playing in that is very cool.”
Born in Halmstads and growing up in Sweden, the player was aware of Celtic history from the number of his compatriots who have previously played for the Glasgow club.
He added: “I know that Henrik Larsson is a big legend here and I know his son really well.
“Hopefully, I can do something similar to him which is very hard to achieve, but I’m going to try my best.
“I know Joe Hart and Albian Ajeti from West Ham and I spent some time with Carl Starfelt in Russia.
“He saw somewhere that I was linked to Celtic and he wrote to me, but I didn’t want to say too much. I just asked him about the club and he only said good things, so I can’t wait to get started now.”
Haksabanovic, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Swedish outfit Djurgardens, had a brief spell at West Ham in 2017 before returning home to sign for IFK Norrkoping.
He moved to Rubin Kazan for a reported £5.4million in July last year. However, according to Russian outlet Sport Business, the financially-stricken club, who lost their top-flight status at the end the season, have been forced to accept a cut-price £1.7million offer from the Hoops.
Now the fans will be hoping to catch a glimpse of their latest purchase, but Sunday’s trip to Tannadice for the midday clash against Dundee United may have come up too fast for the ambitious youngster.
‘Best is yet to come’: Celtic feel sky is limit for player who is clearly ‘all in’ for club
Ange Postecoglou believes Celtic are yet to see the best of new signing Sead Haksabanovic.
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/best-is-yet-to-come-celtic-feel-sky-is-limit-for-player-who-is-clearly-all-in-for-club-3884983
By Mark Atkinson
2022
The versatile Montenegrin internationalist arrived at Celtic Park late in the summer window from Rubi Kazan, but has started the club’s past three matches and has impressed with his performances.
“Sead is doing well,” Postecoglou said when asked about Haksabanovic. “We have had the luxury of being able to ease him in, as opposed to last year when we had to throw guys in. He is building his fitness up and getting an understanding of our game but he;s a good footballer. We are really happy to have him here and we are excited to see what he can bring.
“Sead is still only 23 so from our perspective we were happy to get him. The best is yet to come from him – absolutely. That was one of the attractions for us when he signed him. We saw a player who had a great deal of experience, but in terms of his age profile and where is at in his career, there is still plenty more in him. We knew he could fit into the way we play and the added bonus with Sead is that he can play two or three positions. We felt we needed a player like that and we are pleased with his progress, but we also know there is more to come.
Celtic had to play a waiting game when trying to get the deal for Haksabanovic done, with protracted negotiations with the Russian outfit. However, Postecoglou had little doubt that the defending cinch Premiership champions would land their man. “There are always challenges when doing these things but [chief executive] Michael Nicholson and the rest of the guys worked hard to get it done, added the Australian. “It wasn’t an easy deal to get it done in the current climate but from my first discussion with Sead, I knew he was all in. He definitely wanted to come to Celtic and when you get that vibe from a player, there is always a good chance the deal will get done. We were pleased to get it concluded.”
‘Do some players struggle?’- Sead Haksabanovic opens up on Celtic game-time and pressure to win
Sead Haksabanovic had it planned. He was going to score. Peeling left into space, he was fed by Alexandro Bernabei. It was then a case of cutting in, away from Nathaniel Atkinson and Orestis Kiomourtzoglou and curling a lovely effort past Zander Clark to make it Celtic 3–1 Hearts.
Joel Sked
By Joel Sked
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/do-some-players-struggle-sead-haksabanovic-opens-up-on-celtic-game-time-and-pressure-to-win-4057751
“I knew before I got the ball I was going to go inside and try to score,” the Montenegrin admitted. “I was very happy. I have been getting closer. I was close a couple of times against Rangers and now I have scored. Hopefully now I can keep doing it.”
The 23-year-old is another example of Celtic’s impressive depth. He was finding form prior to the World Cup break but has “had a couple of disruptions through the year where he’s not had an extended run in the team because of a couple of injuries or other players doing really well in his position…but he’s doing really well in training ,” as manager Ange Postecoglou said. Now he’s primed to play a big part with Daizen Maeda potentially joining James Forrest on the sidelines.
“He’s doing well,” his manager said. “I know people get fixated on starts but I get fixated on guys contributing. Sead is certainly doing that. He’s contributing every time he’s been on. If the opportunity arises for him to start then I’m sure he’ll do well. That’s not the most important thing for me, it’s him contributing to the side.
“All of a sudden we have gone from five wingers to three. That’s why we have these guys ready to play and I’m sure Haksa will be ready to do that.”
‘Space in my cupboard’
Haksabanovic revealed he is “enjoying” life in Glasgow and has set his sights on more trophies after getting a taste of that winning feeling as a substitute in the Viaplay Cup final win over Rangers, but will continue to “take it one game at a time” in his search for more opportunities.
“It doesn’t matter if I get five minutes, half an hour or I start, I want to do my stuff and show that I want to play in this team,” he said. “I want to play every game. I’m not going to say I don’t want to play. But I also know we have great players in this team. If I don’t play, then I don’t play, but I know I am going to focus on coming in. I have to be ready for when I start. The key at the moment is this is a young squad and everyone wants to get their chance to prove themselves.”
He added: “There is space in my cupboard for more medals because I only have one! As a player this is what we want – we want to win games, win trophies and medals. We have one so far and now we have the chance for two more. We must stay focused and do what the manager asks of us.
“When I came to Celtic there was a winning spirit. You know how important it is at Celtic to win. You can feel it when you come in. Do some players struggle with that? I love it. Simple as that. You want to be the best you can be, so you need to have that mentality.”
Celtic exit confirmed
Scotsman newspaper 26 June 2024
Celtic have had a quiet transfer window thus far but things could be ramping up with confirmation of the first summer transfer departure after Sead Haksabanovic was announced as having joined Swedish champions Malmo on a four-year contract. The 25-year-old Montenegrin spent last season on loan at Stoke City in the EFL Championship after falling out of the first-team picture under Brendan Rodgers. The winger has previously played in Sweden having come through the ranks at Halmstads BK, before spells with IFK Norrkoping and Djurgardens. Celtic paid £1m to sign Haskabanovic from Russian outfit Rubin Kazan in 2022 and he leaves the club having made 42 appearances, contributing 13 goals and nine assists. Confirming the signing, Malmo sporting director Daniel Andersson said: “Sead is a very good player who can play in many offensive positions. He’s been a bit brave lately and is now very keen to play for us and show what he can do. Despite his relatively young age, he has international experience playing at the highest level from many different countries and leagues. He has top qualities to decide matches, while at the same time he is a player who works hard for the team. We think Sead will fit well into the team building.”