Hearts
QPR beating competition to land this burgeoning 17-year-old Scottish talent would be a massive coup – Agreed?
Why Aaron Hickey to QPR would be an excellent move
According to the Daily Record, QPR have been credited with an interest in Hearts left-back Aaron Hickey, who is widely regarded as one of the burgeoning young talents north of the border in Scottish football.
The 17-year-old starlet has already attracted widespread interest from several top clubs, with reigning Premier League champions Man City and Southampton among the potential suitors for his services, whilst domestic giants Rangers are also keeping close tabs on the youngster’s progress. (h/t Edinburgh Live)
However, as per the report, QPR are the latest club to enter the race to sign the Tynecastle prodigy, with manager Mark Warburton’s connections north of the border making a move likely to materialize in the coming months.
Aaron Hickey is contracted at Tynecastle Park until the summer of 2021 but he is yet to pen a long-term deal at Tynecastle and QPR are hoping that a fee in the region of £1.5 million would be enough to tempt Hearts into selling one of the brightest prospects to have emerged from their academy in recent times. (h/t Daily Record)
Held in high regard as a prodigious talent with serious potential to make a big impact in any top league in Europe, Hickey made his first-team bow for Hearts in the previous campaign and earned plaudits for his stellar performance against Celtic’s James Forrest in the 2019 Scottish Cup final.
The highly-rated teenager has really come of age this term under the guidance of manager Craig Levein, establishing himself as a regular face at the back for Hearts.
Hickey has already made 12 appearances in all competitions in the ongoing campaign and grabbed the headlines last month with his last-minute winner against Hibernian in the Edinburgh derby at Easter Road.
To put things into perspective, Aaron Hickey looks destined to hit great heights in the future and QPR beating off competition from the Premier League giants to snap up one of the best emerging talents in Scotland for a thrifty amount would be nothing but daylight robbery.
Given their Championship status, the London outfit are going to have their work cut out in convincing the teenager to ditch more established clubs like Man City and Southampton but it would be a real coup and a certainly massive statement of intent if they manage to get their hands on the coveted left-back.
QPR have emerged as one of the surprise playoff contenders early in the season following their bright start to the campaign under Warburton, with strikers Nakhi Wells and Jordan Hugill leading their surge up the standings with 6 goals apiece.
Youngsters like Ilias Chair, Eberechi Eze and Bright Osayi-Samuel have established themselves as mainstays of the playing eleven while Ryan Manning has worked wonders for the club ever since Warburton shifted him to an unfamiliar left-back role.
However, with Manning out of contract in the near future and attracting interest from Premier League clubs Newcastle and Southampton (h/t West London Sport), QPR completing a swoop for Aaron Hickey would definitely make a lot of sense, given the lack of specialist options for Warburton in that area of the pitch.
Todd Kane and Yoann Barbet are both capable of filling in the void on the left-hand side of the backline but someone like Hickey would definitely be a wonderful long-term investment. It would be fair to say that QPR should make a move for the 17-year-old regardless of what the future holds for Manning.
Verdict
It remains to be seen whether a move to Loftus Road would appeal to Hickey, who is the subject of interest from Man City and Southampton, but QPR could have a real chance in this race if they manage to convince the youngster of a clear pathway to the first-team.
Warburton’s reign at Loftus Road has already seen some of the young players get a consistent run in the playing eleven and Hickey could also benefit from the manager’s policy of blooding youngsters.
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The 17-year-old is a regular starter for Hearts but the level of competition is a lot higher south of the border and a move to QPR is likely to give him a better chance of playing regularly, which is exactly what he needs to do at this stage of his career.
Hearts complete permanent signing of Josh Ginnelly after loan spell
According to BBC, Scottish Premiership outfit Hearts have completed the permanent signing of winger Josh Ginnelly on a two-year deal after his release from Preston North End.
Ginnelly started out at the Aston Villa academy before making the switch to Shrewsbury Town’s youth setup where he grew through the ranks. In 2015, the winger made the switch to Burnley but spent most of his time with the Clarets out on loan, having stints at Altrincham, Walsall, Lincoln City, Tranmere Rovers before he signed for Walsall permanently in 2018.
Just months later, in January 2019, Ginnelly was snapped up by Preston North End. After a year at Deepdale, the winger was farmed out on loan to Bristol Rovers for the second half of the 2019/20 term.
Last summer saw the 24-year-old sign for Hearts on a year-long loan deal but a serious Achilles injury meant he managed just nine appearances, scoring three goals and setting up one more. (h/t Transfermarkt)
However, he stayed put with the Edinburgh outfit for rehab instead of returning to Preston North End. And with his contract at the EFL Championship club running out, he has now completed a permanent transfer to Hearts, signing a two-year deal. Manager Robbie Neilson welcomed the move, hailing Ginnelly as an explosive player.
“He’s an explosive player. He’s capable of providing a spark that can swing games in your favour. We saw glimpses of how good he was last season and now, with a full pre-season under his belt, he will hopefully go on to be a very important player for us.”
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With this, Ginnelly becomes the first signing of the summer for Heart of Midlothian FC following their promotion back to the Scottish Premiership from the second division. Despite having been bogged down by injuries last term, Ginnelly showed spark when fit. On a free transfer, he can prove to be a handy signing at the Tynecastle.
According to the Sun, Crystal Palace are interested in signing young Hearts left-back Aaron Hickey, but face competition from Celtic in this £1.5million race.
Aaron Hickey, 17, has made 25 appearances for Hearts this season, scoring once, while his overall tally for the Edinburgh club is 29 appearances in all competitions. He has become a mainstay in the Hearts team, thanks to Craig Levein and Daniel Stendel’s respective faith in him.
Celtic released Hickey as a kid but are reluctant to meet Hearts’ asking price. They are entitled to 30% of any transfer fee involved, so it will benefit them if Crystal Palace get their target, the report adds.
Crystal Palace are in need of a new right-back, as Joel Ward is Roy Hodgson’s only natural option in the role – Martin Kelly, who is visibly more comfortable at centre-back, has deputised at times this season. As far as the left-back area is concerned, they do have a lot of bodies in the squad to at least sustain this season.
Patrick Van Aanholt is the only natural option for the left-back role, while Jeffrey Schlupp and Jairo Riedewald are capable of providing cover. Van Aanholt has performed very well over the last few seasons at Selhurst Park, nailing down his place in Hodgson’s starting XI. He has played 17 league games so far this season, scoring two goals.
However, with the Dutchman set to turn 30 in August, Hodgson should start planning for the left-back’s long-term replacement. In that regard, going for Aaron Hickey would be a smart move for the Eagles.
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Hickey has caught the eye with a series of impressive displays this campaign and has been a stand out performer in an otherwise poor Hearts side.
He has become a reliable Premiership player at such a tender age and will certainly continue improving with regular opportunities. The 17-year-old has proven that he can play on either flank for Hearts, although he’s also comfortable operating in central midfield.
Verdict
The report claims Palace are happy to loan Hickey back to Hearts for the rest of the season should they sign him. The teenager needs games to continue his development and if Palace do it, he will arrive in South London ahead of the 2020/21 season with some more experience.
Celtic FC vs Hearts prediction: Celtic FC line-up
Celtic travel to Tynecastle Stadium to face Hearts on Wednesday, hoping to retain the spot in the Premiership table.
The Hoops registered a comfortable 2-0 victory over Hibernian on Sunday, with Jeremie Frimpong and Odsonne Edouard scoring for the hosts. The result stretched Neil Lennon-managed side’s victory to eight league games in a row.
Hearts, meanwhile, lost 1-0 at home to St. Johnstone in their last game and the result sent them to joint-bottom of the Premiership.
Team News
Ryan Christie, Jonny Hayes, Mohamed Elyounoussi and Mikey Johnston missed Sunday’s game against Hibernian, but Lennon would hope to have Christie back for the midweek fixture. Hayes will be assessed but Elyounoussi won’t be available due to stress reaction in the foot.
Probable Celtic XI
Formation: 4-2-3-1
Fraser Forster (GK)
Forster kept a clean sheet on Sunday and will be raring to shut the shop as quickly as possible against Hearts.
Jeremie Frimpong (RB)
Frimpong scored his first goal in Celtic colours over the weekend, impressing in an advanced role. However, he’ll find himself at right-back on Wednesday.
Christopher Jullien (CB)
Jullien has been a fixture since the start of the season and is expected to retain his place in the team.
Kristoffer Ajer (CB)
Ajer is in good form and would have to be at his best to keep Hearts at bay.
Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo (LB)
Bolingoli-Mbombo completed the entire 90 minutes against Hibernian and is likely to keep his place at left-back.
Scott Brown (CM)
An influential figure on the pitch, Brown will look to take control of the game from minute one.
Callum McGregor (CM)
Partnering Brown in central midfield will be McGregor, who has been one of the best players for Celtic so far this season.
James Forrest (LW)
Forrest is unplayable on his day and the Hearts defenders will hope he doesn’t turn up on Wednesday at Tynecastle.
Ryan Christie (RW)
Christie has become an integral performer for the Hoops in recent times, scoring 16 goals in 28 appearances so far this season. He could be back against Hearts.
Olivier Ntcham (CAM)
Ntcham has been in and out of the team but he is likely to start in an advanced role on Wednesday.
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Odsonne Edouard (ST)
Edouard is in hot form this season and should lead Celtic’s attack as usual.
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