Sebastian Tounekti has revealed he had to convince Hammarby to sanction his transfer to Celtic, admitting the Swedish club were reluctant to let him leave in the middle of their title challenge.
The 23-year-old winger made an immediate impact on Sunday, earning man-of-the-match honours on his debut against Kilmarnock. His £5m move to Celtic was only finalised on deadline day after weeks of uncertainty, despite having signed a five-year contract with Hammarby just months earlier.
It was with an hour or so to go that Celtic completed and announced the deal, in what was a highly frustrating deadline day.
Speaking about the saga, Tounekti explained why the deal was so complicated.
“I had a big respect for Hammarby,” he told CeltsAreHere. “Hammarby, they didn’t want to sell. That, of course, I understand. In their position, they were fighting for Europa and for the title,” he said.
“So, I really understood that Hammarby didn’t want to sell, but I had good chats with the coach and I expressed my feelings about a move to Celtic. I felt like I was being heard. Big respect to Hammarby to make it happen.”
Tounekti had been on Celtic’s radar for much of the summer, but with Hammarby unwilling to lose him during a crucial stage of their season, the deal dragged on for weeks and looked likely to collapse before a breakthrough was reached in the final hours of the window.
Now at Celtic Park, the winger has already shown flashes of why Brendan Rodgers was so keen to bring him in. His direct running and creativity were among the few bright spots in Ayrshire, and he looks set to play a major role as the Hoops look to steady themselves after a turbulent summer.
