‘BOLOGNA WAS BEST OPTION’
Forget Bayern and Bhoys ... Bologna is best for Hickey
AARON HICKEY insists he has no regrets over turning down Bayern Munich and Celtic to pursue his Serie A dream. The Hearts left-back flew to Italy with his father Neil yesterday and will undergo a medical before sealing a £1.5million move to
Bologna. Celtic stand to bank £500,000 in training compensation for the former Parkhead youth as part of the deal. Citing the chance of first-team football as the reason he picked Serie A ahead of the champions of Europe or a return to his boyhood idols, 18-year-old Hickey said: ‘I went over for a look at the stadium and facilities and thought: “Yeah, this feels really good”. ‘Everybody was friendly and the manager Sinisa Mihajlovic was nice. He really sold the club to me.
The club had a family feel to it. ‘I went to see Bologna and I went to look round Bayern. ‘Liam Morrison and Barry Hepburn are at Bayern and having other Scottish boys there was a factor for me. ‘But I just thought about my football and decided Bologna was the best option for me personally. I had to go there. ‘At Bayern Munich, I just don’t think I had as much chance of playing first-team football as quickly. ‘At Bologna, there are no guarantees of first-team football, but hopefully I will have a better opportunity. ‘If I work hard and show a willingness to learn, we will see how that goes.’ An academy prospect with Celtic before leaving to establish himself in the Hearts first team, Hickey had chances to return to the club he supported growing up. ‘Celtic offered me a contract a few times,’ said Hickey. ‘I’m a Celtic fan and, much as that was appealing, I just don’t feel as if football-wise that was the right decision for me at this stage. ‘People might think this is a brave thing for me to do, moving to Italy. ‘But it’s just a great opportunity for me.’