Mislav Orsic has confirmed his impending move to Trabzonspor after Southampton accepted a £3.5 million bid from the 2022 Turkish Super Lig champions.
Believe it or not, Mislav Orsic actually played fewer minutes in the red-and-white shirt of Southampton than the infamous Ali Dia.
It’s probably safe to assume the Croatia international did not see that coming when he joined the Saints from Dinamo Zagreb in an £8 million deal at the start of January.
Mislav Orsic leaving Southampton already
Orsic was prolific at Dinamo. He broke the 20-goal barrier during three straight seasons in the Croatian capital. He also scored that iconic hat-trick to knock Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham out of Europe, and found the target with a gorgeous finish as his country finished third at the Qatar World Cup.
Exactly why things went so disastrously for him at Southampton, then, is anyone’s guess. Orsic certainly wasn’t helped by the sacking of Nathan Jones, the manager who brought him to England shoved out the door just weeks later.
Southampton, meanwhile, accepted a £3.5 million bid from Trabzonspor in midweek. The 30-year-old leaves St Mary’s for less than half of the fee they paid for him in the first place only a few months ago.
“I’m extremely happy to be here,” Orsic told Sport after touching down in Turkey. “I hope we will have a good season. I have already worked with coach Nenad Bjelica (at Dinamo). And he is responsible for my coming here.
“I didn’t think much about the city I’m coming to. I came to play football.”
Orsic could still be joined at Trabzonspor by another Croatian international; Southampton team-mate Duje Caleta-Car.
New Saints boss Russell Martin, meanwhile, is now hoping to put his own stamp on a disjointed squad, with a number of Swansea City stars in line to follow in the manager’s footsteps.
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