Sam plans to vindicate his decision to say: ‘Non’ to French move
Sam Cosgrove reckons the chance to play in today’s Scottish Cup showpiece is one of his rewards for knocking back a £2.7 million move to France in the summer.
Aberdeen are set to throw the striker in from the start against Celtic after watching him impress after coming off the bench in the clubs’ 3-3 thriller in the Premiership seven days ago.
It is a prospect that excites the Englishman, whose return from a fractured kneecap suffered against Hibs in pre-season has been quicker than even he dared hope.
“If I’m called upon, I’ll definitely be ready and give as good as I can,” said Cosgrove, whose haul of 23 goals across the truncated 2019-20 campaign made him a signing target for Guingamp.
“That will be fully the manager’s decision, but we have both been keen to get me back and involved as soon as possible.
“I’ve not had lots of training behind me, so it could be a bit of a push. But I feel sharp, like I have got back into my football mindset.
“I have missed it so much. The last time I was involved in a competitive game was at the end of February.
“So to get back out on the pitch, and actually be kicking a ball – fit for a purpose – felt really good.”
Cosgrove’s rejection of the chance to move to France back in July raised eyebrows at the time, even though Guingamp are in Ligue 2.
Aberdeen, then deeply concerned about the financial impact of the pandemic, had accepted the bid, and it was almost taken for granted the player would fall in line.
As the 23-year-old explained, it was a view that failed to weigh up all the pros and cons.
“When the opportunity arose in the summer to potentially go to France, it was something I had to sit down and think about,” he said.
“Not for very long because there wasn’t long left in their window, so they were really pushing it through quickly.
“There were a lot of circumstances that came into my decision.
“But – 100% – games like Sunday were definitely one of the big factors in deciding to stay.
“Had I gone, I would have been playing second division football in France, where I would have been even further away from my family.
“With Aberdeen, I have the chance to win trophies and the potential to play in Europe.
“When you hear you have the opportunity to move abroad for a multi-million-pound fee, it’s naturally attractive
“So, of course, and you want to hear it out, and see what is on offer.
“But after quite a bit of deliberation and thought, and speaking to people close to me, it turned out it just wasn’t the right time and right place for me to move on.”
The question of how Aberdeen chairman, Dave Cormack – who has been vocal on the subject of just how much the fan ban is costing clubs– reacted brings a smile to Cosgrove’s face.
“I can just brush Dave off because he has got his £3m quid (from Scott Mckenna’s transfer to Nottingham Forest),” he said with a chuckle.
“I didn’t manage to speak to him personally, but from what I’ve heard he could have done with the couple of quid extra.
“It did cross my mind, but my career.
“There have been plenty of protocols put in place and contingency plans from the club, and I had been reassured that everything would be fine.
“The manager was good. He simply said it was my decision.” it’s