Whoever said the Eredivisie was easy? Where Giorgios Giakoumakis thrived, a striker who could have followed in the Greek’s footsteps at Celtic continues to toil.
Said Hamulic, according to Tuttomercatoweb, rebuffed the Scottish Premiership champions in January before completing a £2 million move to French outfit Toulouse. The mere fact that he found himself being farmed out on loan to Vitesse Arnhem only a few months later speaks volumes about Hamulic’s early struggles in Ligue 1. And, in truth, the Bosnia and Herzegovina international has done little in the Netherlands either to suggest that Toulouse’s seven-figure investment is going to be repaid with any interest.
Hamulic, a Celtic target after impressing at Stal Mielic in Poland, is yet to find the net in a division where Giakoumakis claimed the Golden Boot and even Rangers’ much-maligned Cyriel Dessers struck with a great deal of regularity.
Said Hamulic reportedly ‘declined’ Celtic move
He is still awaiting his first Vitesse goal. In fact, Hamulic has not scored for either Toulouse or the Arnhem-based outfit since that winter switch nearly 12 months ago, his goal drought not extending to 21 games.
If you throw in the national team, that drought stands at 27.
Hamulic’s miserly return is certainly in contrast to that of his time in Poland, and also to that of another centre-forward who found goals a lot easier to come by in Dutch soil.
Celtic, according to Corriere di Bologna, have made their interest known once again in Sydney van Hooijdonk, the £4 million Bologna benchwarmer who first caught The Hoops’ eye when scoring 19 times on loan at Heerenveen in 2022/23.
Back in for Sydney Van Hooijdonk
Now out of favour in Italy, Van Hooijdonk is open to a fresh challenge in the New Year.
“I’m fine here, but I can’t say whether I’ll leave or stay,” Van Hooijdonk, kept out of the Rossoblu XI by the in-form Joshua Zirkzee, tells Corriere dello Sport.
“I’m fine. I’m at a good team and I like life a lot. But I have to do what’s best for my growth. For my career. I also have to play.
“In football, things can change quickly. There are two months left until January and who knows what will happen? Now, there is Joshua who is playing a great season.
“Do the rumours about my possible transfer bother me? It’s normal when you don’t play. In the last year-and-a-half, I’ve played a lot and also scored a lot. In my opinion, Bologna isn’t the same as when I came here two years ago. Everything has improved. The level… everything.
“We’ll see what happens.”
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
