Shay Logan Aberdeen exit finally explained after Brown's Celtic switch

By David Walton

April 1, 2021

The curious timing of Shay Logan leaving Aberdeen after the signing of Celtic captain Scott Brown has finally been cleared up by Dave Cormack.

Brown was confirmed as Aberdeen’s new assistant manager for next season only a week ago. He will join new manager Stephen Glass when his Parkhead contract expires this summer.

This appeared to set up a meaty reunion with Dons right-back Logan. The pair had never seen eye-to-eye when they competed against each other:

The Aberdeen man was even pranked by his mates back in 2019 to dress up as Scott Brown during a stag-do [Daily Mail]. And with Logan completing a loan move to Hearts only days after confirming of Brown’s impending arrival, the timing was certainly interesting.

However, Dons chairman Dave Cormack has now explained the decision and the events leading up to it. Perhaps unsurprisingly, it appeared to have nothing to do with Brown’s signing.

Speaking at the Aberdeen fans Q&A last night, Cormack said: “There’s no issue between Shay and Scott. Both are tough competitors on the field. With the manager moving to a back three at the beginning of the season, both Shay and Ronny Hernandez got very little playing time.

“Paul Sheerin made the call before the Dundee United game that others were going to get game time ahead of Shay going forward for the rest of the season. Last Sunday night, Hearts called and asked about taking Shay on loan. It was something Shay wanted to do and it’s only five games.

“He’ll be back at Aberdeen for the final few weeks of the season at which point we can rightly thank him and show our appreciation for seven years of tremendous dedication and service to the club. That’s the totality of it.”

Shay Logan doesn’t look like he’ll meet departing Celtic captain Scott Brown next season

Logan’s departure doesn’t look like anything worth reading into. He’s only played 14 times for Aberdeen this season [Transfermarkt]. Considering Hearts are struggling with consistency despite leading the Championship, it’s no surprise they would be interested in taking the Englishman.

And it looks as though both Logan and Brown will avoid any in-house reunion next season. The Aberdeen-owned star is into the final few weeks of his contract. That doesn’t look like being renewed. Call it more conveniently timed than suspiciously timed.

Scott Brown is heading for Aberdeen (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Meanwhile, Brown won’t be heading to Aberdeen until the summer. He still has a major job to do for Celtic in securing the Scottish Cup and ending his 14-year Parkhead career on a major high. It’s the least he deserves for what’s been a glittering spell in Glasgow.

Of course, Brown and Logan do look set to meet up next season regardless. The idea with Logan’s move to Hearts would be that he shows enough to win a permanent deal. If that happens, chances are they’ll be up against each other when the Jambos face the Dons.

But regarding the nature of Logan’s exit? There’s nothing to see in truth.

In other news, Eddie Howe’s demands if offered the Celtic job have been outlined in a report.