The Sun’s Haksabanovic exit comments are very telling. They signal something new at Celtic, the manager is in control when it comes to transfers

When there isn’t much happening in the transfer window, sometimes you have to read between the lines to understand what’s really happening.

I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was irked at the fact we’ll probably start Scott Bain between the sticks at Scott Brown’s Ayr United later this week.

But I believe there is a plan, and I also believe that there is one man in control of that plan.

Yesterday, in an article in the Scottish Sun, Sead Haksabanovic spoke out about his move to Malmo, and leaving Celtic.

The article is negative, and in some cases derogatory towards the Celtic manager, Brendan Rodgers.

But that’s the Sun for you, they are always on the look out for a negative Celtic story.

They may think they’ve hit the jackpot with this one, but for me, upon reading it, rather than signalling something negative, it actually signals something very positive is going on Celtic.

What Sead Haksabanovic said is actually quite telling.

Looking at the language in his comments, some of them should be taken with a grain of salt.

However, I don’t think Haksabanovic had any reason to lie.

He’s gone from Celtic, and had nothing to lose by saying what he said.

The language at times in his comments is a bit infantile, but here’s what he had to say:

So my time at Celtic has come to an end, earlier than I thought and expected and wanted but some other people had another opinion and I gotta respect that.

I wanna thank the players, the staff and the fans because that is what Celtic is about, we made good memories together and I will always have love for Celtic.

Good luck and Celtic are f*****g massive everywhere they go.

All the best in the future.

Clearly, Haksabanovic enjoyed his time at the club, but not necessarily his relationship with the manager.

Personally, I don’t think he has much to gripe about.

He was given the chance to go out on loan to show what he could do.

Haksabanovic made very little impression on anyone at Stoke City, making just 19 appearances, and scoring a solitary goal in the process.

That, in turn, cannot have made much of an impression on Brendan Rodgers.

It looks like the feeling was mutual with the below key take-out:

But some other people had another opinion and I gotta respect that.

Yes, clearly one person had another opinion, Brendan Rodgers.

When Haksabanovic was probed on that, here’s what he had to say:

Yes, mostly him (Rodgers), because the board wanted me to stay. They believed in me but he had other plans.

This, to me, is the comment that is most telling.

Apparently the board wanted him to stay.

Unfortunately for Haksabanovic, it’s not the board who call the shots on the footballing operation, it’s the manager.

The board might have paid Haksabanovic lip service, and stated that they wanted to keep him.

But I get the feeling that might be all it really was.

The decision was ultimately left to the manager.

And that’s what stands out the most here.

It wasn’t the board’s decision, it was the manager’s.

He made the call to move Haksabanovic on.

Which would indicate he is intent on moving the dead wood on in the squad.

Well, the dead wood, and those he feels are not fully committed the Celtic cause.

Something that Callum McGregor touched on recently.

He spoke in detail about what the expectations are when you pull on the green and white hoops of Celtic.

He also mentioned that players coming into the club are going to hit the ground running.

This would indicate that McGregor also has awareness of the plan.

And as the captain, you would expect that.

You would expect that he is in constant contact with his manager.

So, while the Sun were desperately trying to push a negative story about Celtic yesterday, I took quite a lot of positives from it.

The main one being that Brendan Rodgers seems to have the final call when it comes to transfers.

That is what’s most important here.

If this is the case, then I’m confident he has a plan when it comes to the players he wants to augment the squad.

And that once you see the first transfer getting over the line, it will be followed by more and more, until we have the players in place required to take our squad to the next level.

The Sun wanted us to see Haksabanovic conveying a negative message.

Instead, it tells us that Brendan Rodgers is calling the shots.

For most, if not all of us, that’s exactly what we want to see.

A return to the kind of policy that was in place during Ange Postecoglou’s early reign at the club.

I think from here on out, we just need to be patient.

As the old saying goes, good things come to those who wait.

And we’re well used to being made wait at Celtic.

Aren’t we?

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