Departing Hearts defender Aaron Hickey has stated that Celtic provided him with an “appealing” offer this summer.
The left-back, who’s all but set to become a Bologna player imminently, looks like finalising a deal that will cost as much as £1.5m (The Herald).
Celtic had regularly been linked with a move for the player, with the Telegraph’s Mike McGrath claiming last week that the Hoops had in fact won the race to sign him.
Instead, Hickey has decided to go to Serie A, but has been speaking in the Scottish Sun about Celtic’s approach as he highlighted the club’s persistence to sign him up.
“We had a massive decision to make out of the clubs that were interested. But I think I have definitely made the right decision for me and my future.
“Celtic offered me a contract a few times. I’m a Celtic fan and, much as that was appealing, I just didn’t feel as if football-wise that was the right decision for me at this stage.
“I went to Bayern Munich as well, so it was a massive decision for me and a difficult one. But you can’t lose sight of the fact that Bologna are a massive club in Serie A.”
Easy to respect Hickey’s decision
Everyone can respect why Hickey felt that a move to Parkhead wasn’t ideal for him at this stage in his career. He knows he wouldn’t be playing regularly and wants to be given a chance at his next club.
But you do then wonder why he’s moving to Bologna. Their sporting director, Walter Sabatini, has already stated that he’ll be a back-up to Mitchell Dijks in Italy. As quoted by Edinburgh Live, Sabatini said: “He’s a lad who knows how to play. He’s very intelligent tactically and with us he would be back-up to Mitchell Dijks.”
Hickey clearly feels, regardless of the above comments, that he’s going to get his opportunities this season.
If all goes well for him, he won’t be back in Glasgow anytime soon despite being a Celtic fan. If he impresses in Serie A, then the youngster will go for big money somewhere down the line.
That looks like being a while yet, but it’s ultimately Hickey’s goal to play at the top level. A move to Parkhead could still happen in the future at some stage, but it would likely be years and years down the line.
All the best to him though. It shows real character as a Celtic fan to be able to turn the club down and feel you’re best chance of playing is elsewhere. Hopefully it all works out for him.
In other news, former Celt Darren Jackson has lashed out at Aston Villa’s big-money deal as he backed the Hoops’ Edouard stance.
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