{"id":11577,"date":"2025-07-21T21:26:39","date_gmt":"2025-07-21T21:26:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2025\/07\/21\/celtic-could-beat-rangers-as-old-firm-rivals-clash-heads-for-serbian-sensation-one-for-the-future\/"},"modified":"2025-07-21T21:26:39","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T21:26:39","slug":"celtic-could-beat-rangers-as-old-firm-rivals-clash-heads-for-serbian-sensation-one-for-the-future","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/2025\/07\/21\/celtic-could-beat-rangers-as-old-firm-rivals-clash-heads-for-serbian-sensation-one-for-the-future\/","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Could Beat Rangers As Old Firm Rivals Clash Heads For Serbian Sensation: One For The Future?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Rumoured Celtic target Andrej Bacanin has sent an encouraging \u2018message\u2019 to the Celtic fans following the Cukaricki sporting director Vladimir Matija\u0161evi\u0107\u2019s deadline for the transfer of their prized asset, the Daily Record<\/a> has revealed.<\/p>\n

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\u201cHe attracted the attention of numerous clubs with his performances for our team last season, as well as for the Serbian national team at his age. We had calls from Scottish giants Celtic\u00a0and Rangers,\u00a0Ajax, Udinese, and some other teams are interested.\u201d<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Matija\u0161evi\u0107 discussed the possibility of interest from a few other outfits, but expects a summer switch to take place within the next 10 days.<\/p>\n

Why Celtic Are Eyeing A Move For The Teenager<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Despite inquiries from both Celtic and Rangers, Bacanin has only followed the Hoops on Instagram. This has sparked speculation, as the youngster shares similar traits with Lennon Miller, the Motherwell starlet, who they have missed out amid reports of a potential move abroad.<\/p>\n

The 18-year-old Serbian youth international progressed through Cukaricki\u2019s academy ranks before breaking into their first-team squad last season. He went on to make 19 senior appearances across competitions and was heavily involved in their relegation round fixtures. The teenage sensation was immense in the middle of the park, as the Highlanders clinched a mid-table finish in the Serbian SuperLiga.<\/p>\n

\"Celtic
FARO, PORTUGAL \u2013 JULY 16: Head Coach Brendan Rodgers of Celtic FC speaks with players during the Pre-Season Friendly match between Sporting CP and Celtic at Estadio Algarve on July 16, 2025, in Faro, Portugal. (Photo by Gualter Fatia\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meanwhile, Bacanin was not involved this weekend when Cukaricki clinched a 1-0 win against FK Napredak Kru\u0161evac in their opening gameweek of the 2025-26 league campaign. It remains unclear whether it was precautionary; however, the midfield prodigy might have to wait for regular gametime if he plies his trade in Glasgow\u2019s east end.<\/p>\n

What He Would Bring to Celtic Park<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Celtic<\/a> snapped up several project signings in recent years. Although a few of them were involved in the senior scenes, many left the club on loan for minutes and were eventually offloaded for suitable offers. Kwon Hyeok-kyu and Odin Thiago Holm are facing uncertainty over their long-term future at Parkhead, particularly with ample depth and quality in the centre of the pitch.<\/p>\n

With skipper Callum McGregor expected to drive the show from the base as a deep-lying playmaker, Brendan Rodgers prefers Arne Engels and Reo Hatate as the preferred \u2018number 8\u2019 pair. Paulo Bernardo and Luke McCowan are also there to challenge and cover the first-team trio, yet the young ace could grab a sporadic role this season for his flexibility across midfield.<\/p>\n

Bacanin has showcased his expertise with his box-to-box movements, creativity, ball-carrying traits, and the ability to play key passes into the final third. His composure and technicality as a deep-lying playmaker could see him succeed McGregor in the long run. Rodgers must hand him senior minutes to attune to the aggression and physicality of Scottish football.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rumoured Celtic target Andrej Bacanin has sent an encouraging \u2018message\u2019 to the Celtic fans following the Cukaricki sporting director Vladimir Matija\u0161evi\u0107\u2019s deadline for the transfer of their prized asset, the Daily Record has revealed. \u201cHe attracted the attention of numerous clubs with his performances for our team last season, as well as for the Serbian […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12953,"featured_media":11578,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11577","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11577","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12953"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11577"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11577\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11578"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11577"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11577"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/wpinitiate.com\/echo-test\/demo76e71539\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11577"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}