There have been quite a few ‘what could have been’ stories around Celtic in recent years. Whether it be Andy Robertson not getting his chance at the club or the Hoops failing to get a deal done for players like John McGinn and Ivan Toney, who have gone on to show their quality at the Premier League level.
Now, it looks like another name will be added to that list soon. It is that of Aaron Hickey. And in his case, Celtic did both.
Hickey was part of the Celtic youth setup but left before ever breaking into the senior team. It was an understandable decision at that point in time as Kieran Tierney was still at the club and chances of first-team action were slim.
Hickey would quickly establish himself in the senior game at Hearts. Celtic were linked with a move for their former youth player as a result. But he ended up at Bologna. While the left-back was in Italy, the Hoops were once again rumoured to be interested in him but he next joined Brentford.
Player who left Celtic for free now valued at £50 million
Hickey’s stock has been on a meteoric rise in recent years. He has been linked with some of the biggest teams in the Premier League. As reported by the Mirror, Brentford are likely to look for a transfer fee around £50 million before they consider opening discussions.
That is quite a significant transfer fee. Especially for a player who left Celtic for free some years ago.
Of course, Celtic could have done with someone like Hickey at this point in time. Their issues at left-back are well-documented. Greg Taylor has struggled to rediscover the form that he showed under the management of Ange Postecoglou. And Alexandro Bernabei might be out of Brendan Rodgers’ plans already.