A Union Berlin chief has admitted he didn't think Josip Juranovic would sign for the club from Celtic.
Managing director Oliver Ruhnert has revealed he and others at the club were surprised to be able to get a deal over the line when the Bundesliga side tried their luck last month.
However, he's delighted they kept up their pursuit of the Croatian international, especially after the right-back's superb start to life in Germany.
Juranovic was linked with several top clubs around Europe after impressing at the World Cup in 2022.
The likes of Chelsea, Barcelona and Manchester United were all credited with an interest in the former Celtic star.
While none of these teams made an official approach, it was Bundesliga high-flyers Union who secured Juranovic's services in the end.
The German outfit paid out £10million to the Hoops for the defender.
READ MORE: Scott Brown details hairdryer treatment behind Fleetwood FA Cup shock
And Ruhnert admits the coup signing from Ange Postecoglou's team shows just how far they have come in recent years.
He said: “We came at the right moment with players like Juranovic and Ladouni. A few years ago, players would probably have said ‘no’. But you see that work has been done successfully here in recent years. That makes it easier for them.
“At first, we had the expectation that (the Juranovic deal) would probably not work out. We stuck with it, and were rewarded in the end. We had (Laidouni) on our radar for a long time. It was never realistic (before) but, like with Juranovic, we came at the right moment.
“Both are very positive guys in the dressing room. That is extremely gratifying. That’s exactly what we wanted.”
Our Celtic Digest newsletter brings exclusive content directly to you rather than solely through the website. You can already find us on YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, TikTok and Instagram but we will also send bespoke opinion pieces and special features directly to your email inbox every evening. Not only will you receive this article from Sean Martin, Tony Haggerty or Aidan Macdonald (or, sometimes, from all three) but you will also get easy access to our best content from the last 24 hours too. It’s a great way to keep up to date with what’s happening at Ange Postecoglou’s Scottish champions. To sign up, simply take five seconds to type in your email here. Simple!
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here