FC Union Berlin “arrived at the right moment” to sign Josip Juranovic from Celtic in the January transfer window following the player’s impressive performances under Ange Postecoglou at Celtic Park.
That’s according to Union chief Oliver Ruhnert who says that initially the sums involved had put them out of the race for the full-back.
Juranovic joined Union Berlin towards the end of the January transfer window after weeks of speculation about his future at Celtic.
The defender had impressed for the Bhoys since arriving from Legia Warszawa in August 2021 but launched himself into the public consciousness during the World Cup in Qatar.
He played a key role for Croatia during their time in the Middle East, putting in a series of impressive performances in their run to the semi-finals of the competition.
That saw him linked to club all around Europe but it was Bundesliga leaders Union Berlin, who currently sit second in the Bundesliga, who eventually won the race to sign him from Celtic.
And according to Ruhnert, that might have been due to their current standing in Germany’s top flight more than anything else.
“With players like Juranovic and Ladouni, we arrived at the right moment,” he told BILD.
“A few years ago, the players would probably have said no. But they have seen that work has been done successfully here in recent years. That makes it easier.
“At first we expected that it (Juranovic) probably wouldn’t work out. With the sums involved, we were rather out of it. We kept at it and were rewarded in the end.”
