ANGE POSTECOGLOU has spoken for the first time since Josip Juranovic departed Celtic.
He didn’t have a bad word to say about the defender on Saturday when he revealed the Croatian had been granted permission to fly to Germany to finalise a move to Union Berlin. It’s since been confirmed that Juranovic has joined the German side from Cektic in a deal worth up to £10 million, including add-ons.
Celtic were prepared for the World Cup star’s exit, with another Qatar 2022 right-back replacing Jura. Alistair Johnston flew into Parkhead in December, completing a move to the Scottish champions. He’s since played and impressed after he burst onto the scene with a debut at Ibrox.
Reacting to the departure on Celtic TV, the boss remained full of praise for Jura, paying tribute to his contributions, Postecoglou said:
“He was certainly a popular member of the group and he will be missed.
“But as I said on the weekend, with all of us, what the ultimate measure is our contribution while we’re here, irrespective of the time span.
“He came to us in a very important year for this football club, I thought and he was a massive contributor on and off the park, to our success.
“He continued that this year, and moves on now to another opportunity for himself and his family.
“But look, he was a real popular member of the group and he’ll be missed. But, ultimately, the measure is his contribution and that was significant.”
Because of the manager’s proactive transfer business, the impact of Juranovic leaving won’t be as damaging as it could’ve been. Johnston has looked impressive so far, and because he was brought in early, it’s given him time to settle in before he made his debut in January.
This is two days ago news