Amid to the reports last night that Everton are close to agreeing an £8M move for Hajduk Split vice captain Nikola Vlašič we spoke with Tin Žaja a Croatian football reporter who reports on the Croatian first division and also a fan of Hajduk Split.
Well Tin there is a lot of reports over from England regarding Nikola Vlasic stating how he will be signing for Everton. I’m just wondering could you tell us more about Nikola?
Nikola is a great talent, that’s for sure. He is so mature for his age, determined to become one of the best. That’s what he is in Croatia, maybe the best prospect in this decade, but also, he has a lot of room to develop into a world class player. He is not scoring or assisting a lot, but he is a great dribbler, and always covered with more than one player. He is threat to opponent’s goal in any way.
How has Nikola fared since he began his career with Hajduk Split, would Split fans say he has done well?
Yes.Most of Hajduk fans are really sad that he is leaving as he is a future for the club. Since Mario Pašalić (who went to Chelsea), Nikola is the next, if I may say so, “young icon” of the club. Certainly, the best player Hajduk has, and he is still on his way to become something more. Everyone just loves him and his desire, passion while playing in the white shirt.
How has his career developed so far?
As every young player, he has some ups and downs, but since Mr Joan Carrillo has become Hajduk coach, Nikola improved a lot. With emphasis on mental part, because he is acting as one of the most experienced players on the pitch. That’s really important for him, because phisycally, he is really powerful for most of European leagues. Premier League is well-known for that and he could fit if trained properly in next years.
Nikola Vlašić played twice against Everton when we played Hajduk Split in the Europa League qualifying round
For somebody so young to be a vice captain that says a lot about his character no?
He is vice-captain. As I said before, he is really mature for his age. Acting like a true leader being just 19 years old.
Finally Tin, do you think he could do well at Everton?
If any player from Croatia can be successful in Premier League, it is Vlašić. He is physically in some other/higher level – above other Croatian players. Hopefully, he’ll maintain that level and show to everyone in England what he’s capable of doing. I believe that he can do well everywhere, that’s just him.
Thank you to Tin for answering our questions on Nikola Vlašic. You can find Tin at @TinZaja on Twitter.
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