Celtic’s activities in the transfer market have been appreciated from many corners throughout the years.
The club’s player trading model helped Celtic to record record revenue of £124.6m in the last set of financial accounts.
So it is clear that when it comes to keeping Celtic financially stable, effective recruitment is key. So when stories surface of Celtic failing to recruit players for a modest amount who go on to become highly successful, the fans can at times feel upset.
The story of John McGinn’s aborted Celtic move is one that has plenty of caveats to it and is one that still stings to this day.
But speaking about young talent in Scotland, Mark Guidi shared how Celtic lost out on Aaron Hickey because they refused to pay Hearts what they were looking for the Scotland defender.
Celtic could have signed Aaron Hickey for an ‘extra’ £400,000
Hickey finally moved to Bologna from Hearts, where he was successful and earned a major move to Brentford.
while questioned why Celtic or Rangers don’t attempt to sign young Scottish talent more regularly, Guidi believes it may be due to how both teams do their recruitment, citing how much additional money Celtic refused to pay to sign Hickey while he was at Hearts.
Guidi told The Go Radio Football Show, “It could be that the recruitment department, there’s probably not a lot of Scottish people in it, so maybe they don’t appreciate the talent that we’ve got, and so they’re looking towards their home countries.”
“For example, Nils Koppen is Dutch, thus the Rangers signed Propper, and this is just one example. The young fullback who came on is also Dutch.
“Perhaps they need more time to believe in Scottish football.” But, as Barry points out, there are maybe a dozen guys who have gone in the last three years, including Barry’s nephew, Lewis.
“Aaron Hickey, Celtic could have and should have signed Aaron Hickey, but kind of stalled over with an extra £300k or £400k.”
What Aaron Hickey previously said about leaving Celtic for Hearts
Many Celtic fans are aware that Hickey began his career at Hearts before moving to Celtic’s academy in 2014, where he spent four years before returning to Tynecastle in 2018.
Celtic were connected with Hickey in 2020, but he eventually departed to join Bologna for roughly £1.5 million.
In 2022, Hickey explained why he did not renew his Celtic contract and moved to Edinburgh from Glasgow.
Hickey stated, “I started at Hearts when I was quite young – I was about 10 when I joined, and I stayed until I was twelve.
“Then I went to Celtic, which was my boyhood club. I stayed there for around four years. Celtic offered me a contract, but I didn’t play much. I figured there would be a better chance for me to play at Hearts.
“Being young, you must play football. “You must make the right decisions.”
Lack of first-team football appears to be a recurring factor in why young Celtic players depart, and Hickey’s story is still well-known among fans.
With the appointment of Darren O’Dea as Celtic’s Player Pathway Manager, supporters believe that youthful potential like Aaron Hickey will no longer be lost.
Read more at: https://sportupdates.co.uk
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