Football is all about making the right decisions and for Atlético Madrid’s Ivan Šaponjic, rejecting Celtic and Crystal Palace this summer is looking like the wrong one.
The 23-year-old striker was linked with both clubs throughout the summer transfer window, with Neil Lennon’s Celtic the subject of most claims, as both looked to improve their forward options.
Ultimately a deal never happened, with Celtic bringing in Albian Ajeti from West Ham and Crystal Palace opting to sign Michy Batshuayi on loan from Chelsea once again.
Celtic, though, were extremely keen, with several reports indicating that Šaponjic’s desire to play could see a deal happen.
Spanish newspaper AS covered his situation yesterday and explained that he ‘wants a chance’ under Simeone but has already found himself behind other homegrown talents this season.
However, last night’s Champions League clash with Bayern Munich provided the perfect chance for that to change after Diego Costa was ruled out.
It was believed that game could help him ‘fulfil’ his wish, with the newspaper stating it was a ‘great opportunity’ for him to make his mark and prove a point.
The reality, though, was quite different as Šaponjic found himself an unused substitute, despite his side suffering a 4-0 defeat and managing just one shot on target in the game.
Those sort of numbers suggest it would have been worth giving Šaponjic a shot, but instead he was forced to watch the likes of Ángel Correa being given their chance to impress.
It was another low blow for the youngster, who has managed just 64 minutes in just over a season and must be seriously wondering why he turned down the interest from Crystal Palace and Celtic this summer.
