Another Hajduk star heads for foreign shores. Good luck Andrija!
Andrija Balić packed his bags, said goodbye in Belek to his teammates and coach, and headed to Split. It was a sure sign that it was all over as far as his move to Udinese is concerned. In fact, the issue of compensation was resolved several days ago. Udinese has sent an offer of three million plus one million euros, which will be paid out through bonuses should Balić’s career at Udinese develop according to plans. At issue was the question of payment of those three million euros. Udinese offered the option according to which the payment would be done in three instalments staring from the summer, with one instalment paid to Hajduk every six months. Hajduk Chairman Marin Brbić tried to get the first instalment right away, reports Vecernji List and Index.hr on January 31, 2016.
He still had fresh memories of problems with Pescara when Ante Vukušić went to play there. However, Udinese is a club which survives by buying and selling players. That was likely the reason why the Supervisory Board decided to approve the transfer after all. And that was the end of the story about the departure of the young Hajduk gem who will hopefully continue to develop as a player in Italy.
Hajduk will make quite a lot of money and the deal is beneficial to all sides. This applies especially to the young player who, even before Hajduk accepted Udinese’s offer, had already moved to Italy in his mind. It would be a real shock for him to stay at Poljud after all the excitement. So now everybody is happy, particularly Balić who has gotten everything he had asked for and will sign a contract with Udinese for the next four and a half years.
“First of all, I wish the best of luck to my former teammates. I am excited, but there is always a sense of sadness when you leave. To be honest, I never thought much about the transfer. In recent weeks, I have been thinking only about the new season, that is all. What is important to me is that I am healthy”, said Balić. “It is nice to hear that people say that a new Pirlo is coming to Udinese, but it is also a burden. You have to prove yourself each and every day, and that can be difficult and exhausting. But, I must learn how to fight the pressure. It is certain that I have space for improvement and I am ready to give my best to achieve it as soon as possible.”
And the final message for Hajduk fans? “I do not know what to say. Hajduk is number one, you live for the club from the moment you are born. But, this is life.”
