Nemanja Nikolic another returnee!

Now-former Vojvodina, striker, Nemanja Nikolic, picked his former club over a move to Cyprus and signed a two-year deal with Partizan!

30-year-old forward played for Partizan in the seasons 2019/20 and 2020/21, scoring 8 goals and 10 assists over 36 appearances.

Soon upon signing his new Partizan contract, Nikolic departed to Slovenia to join his teammates later in the evening. He spoke to Partizan website before his journey.

“Many would say transfer window in an ongoing thing and there`s always offers during summer. A club from Cyprus made a fine offer but changed it at the last minute and I was not ready to accept it. The same day I spoke to  people from Partizan and when you get a Partizan call, the decision is out there for the taking. We made an agreement straight away and it seems it was simply meant to be for me to return to Partizan”, said Nikolic.

There are players here you know from your first Partizan spell.

“Yes, Scekic, Pantic as well as Markovic, Sehovic and few other chaps who were part of Partizan youths back then. I have a great relationship with all of them. It means a lot when there are faces you know around, to start with”.

Wherever you played you were open about your support for Partizan but you were also very professional about your job when you played against your former club.

“I`m Partizan fan since my early age but I often found myself playing against my beloved club and it`s hard to control your emotions in such circumstances. I always tried to show respect for Partizan even when I was playing against my former club. We are all professionals and we live off the club who`s paying us. It`s our duty do do our best on the pitch and I was always doing it against any club, Partizan included. I think that`s normal and no one was angry when I scored a goal against my club. It`s always a strange feeling when you score – you are kind of sad as you scored against the club you love”.

As a forward, you are here to replace Ricardo, top SSL player. Is that a challenge for you?

“Ricardo finished last season as a top SSL goalscorer, which says enough about his forward skills. We have a different playing style, he`s a true goal machine, I might look to secure more assists to my teammates but it`s always a nice feeling when you score. On the other hand, I have to underline I`m not after the personal stats, it`s about final standings for me. We are all here for the benefit of Partizan and the best outcome possible. It`s on me to work hard and things will come my way as a result”.

You watched Partizan last season and you were expressing your desire to come back and help the team.

“You love Partizan in any given situation – when the club is champion and when there`s a poor patch. The name of Partizan and the tradition of the club are motivation enough for every individual player do to its best , especially after the bad season behind us. All of us have to get Partizan back where it belongs – to winning trophies and battling for it”.

Your message to Partizan fans?

“There`s no Partizan without fans. They are the once who push us forward. Me and my teammates will strive to get them back on the stands with our commitment and results on the pitch and I hope we`ll have a lot of celebrations with our fans”, said Nikolic before departing for team`s Slovenia pre-season camp.