Aiden McGeady says he was close to joining Arsenal but said no to sign for Celtic – and he’s happy with how it worked out
Aiden McGeady celebrates scoring for Celtic against Benfica(Image: SNS Group 0141 221 3602)
Aiden McGeady says he knocked back a dream move to Arsenal on his dad’s advice before he signed for Celtic.
But the former winger admits it’s the best decision he ever made.
The Irish wide man joined the Hoops in his teens and made his debut as an 18-year-old under Martin O’Neill and went on to win four league titles over four years before earning a £9.5m move to Spartak Moscow – becoming Scottish football’s record sale at the time.
But it could have been incredibly different had he not taken the advice of dad John, who played for Sheffield United in the 1970s.
Unlike his old man, who headed to England as a teenager, McGeady knocked back huge offers from down south in favour of remaining in Scotland to prioritise first-team football. It gave him the launching pad for a stellar Celtic career, and he says he wouldn’t have it any other way.
McGeady said on Open Goal: “Before I first signed for Celtic, the years leading up to that was when I was going on trial down the teams in England.
“I was probably quite close to signing for Arsenal. They were the biggest team I felt comfortable with.
“But then my dad put it quite simply for me. He was like, ‘I did the same thing.’ He left school at 16, moved down to Sheffield. “He said, ‘Look, you if you sign for Arsenal, what’s the chances of you actually making it in the first team?’
“They were probably quite slim. At Celtic, you can stay at home, you can still see all your friends, you can live with your family… there’s more chance of getting in the first team.
‘So I signed for Celtic and it was the best thing I’ve done.”
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