New Celtic singing Filip Benkovic has revealed that he turned down potential moves to clubs in Spain, Germany and Italy in order to move to Parkhead.
The 6’3″ giant, secured on a loan deal from Premier League Leicester City last month, has detailed how desperate he was to make the temporary switch to Glasgow.
“I want to play as much as possible so a season-long loan with Celtic was agreed and Leicester has the option of recalling me in the winter,” he told the Scottish Sun.
“There were other loan options – clubs in Italy, Spain and Germany, but I just wanted to go to Celtic. I think this is the best option for me for preparing for football in England and the Premier League – that’s why I am delighted to go to Celtic.”
OPINION
Celtic fans will be thrilled to hear how much Benkovic wanted to play for the club. At 21 years of age this is clearly a young man who simply wants to play football, and as a centre back he plays in a position of need for the club. The Croatian was clearly highly rated by Leicester, they spent a reported £13million on him after all, but found himself playing a waiting game at the club behind Harry Maguire, Wes Morgan and Jonny Evans. This loan move suits everyone involved, Benkovic most of all. The fact that he chose Celtic over clubs in Spain, Italy and Germany shows that he’s a smart, young man. He realises that a spell in Scotland would be more beneficial for him in adapting to the Premier League than a stay in La Liga, Serie A or the Bundesliga. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders, and Hoops fans will be hoping he proves a big success at the club.