Former Scotland international Alan Brazil still cannot believe Celtic didn’t seize the chance to sign John McGinn before he became a Premier League stalwart with Aston Villa, speaking to TalkSPORT (8 April, 9.20am).
Celtic supporters certainly won’t look back on the summer of 2018 with too much fondness. After all, hindsight doesn’t reflect particular well on their failure to hang onto a fresh-faced whizzkid by the name of Aaron Hickey.
Later that summer, the Hoops would also miss out on the chance to sign a player who, according to the Record, could cost in excess of £50 million these days with Manchester United and Liverpool having expressed an interest of late.
Aston Villa paid just £2 million for McGinn, then of Hibernian, snatching the all-action midfielder from under the noses of his ‘Bhoyhood’ club.
No wonder Steve Bruce describes McGinn as one of the ‘best signings’ of over two decades in management.
Is John McGinn a £50m player now?
“John McGinn; Celtic season ticket holder. Now, why didn’t Celtic buy him?” agonises Brazil, a 13-time Scotland international in the 1980s.
“(McGinn) has done brilliantly for Scotland as well. Brilliant.”
In defence of Celtic, it’s not as if they didn’t try.
The Hoops actually made three bids for McGinn during the summer of 2018, with one of the most hard-working midfield enforcers on UK soil admitting that he had his ‘heart set’ on donning that iconic green and white shirt before Aston Villa made their move.
“Obviously Celtic made a few offers and it was hard for me [not joining the club]. I was a season ticket holder for 15 years, so I had my heart set on it,” McGinn told Sky Sports at the time.
“But then, two months along the line, it became clear that a deal wasn’t being agreed. I just focused on my football and then got the opportunity to go to Aston Villa and I was blown away.
“When their bid got accepted there was only one place I was going.”
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