Brentford FC have broken the bank to sign left-back Aaron Hickey from Serie A side Bologna, who has reportedly been on Arsenal’s radar in recent weeks. The player left his native Scotland for a stint in Italy in the summer of 2020.
The fees the club paid Bologna (€22m) narrowly eclipsed the one they paid Celtic for the transfer of Kristoffer Ajer a year ago (€15.7m), making Hickey their most expensive signing ever. The 20-year-old enjoyed two successful seasons in Italy, where he garnered the attention of big European clubs. Hickey has signed a four-year contract with the Bees, which will run until the end of the 2025/26 season.
Speaking about his new signing to the club website, Brentford manager Thomas Frank showered the youngster with praises, claiming that he is technically very sound and a good attacking full-back.
“Aaron is a rare thing in modern football in that he is equally good with both feet. He is technically very sound and is good when he has the ball in tight areas. He is an attacking full back that has good creativity, he is a great crosser of the ball and scored goals in Serie A last year,”
“Having played two years in Italy, we know he will have good defensive traits. There are areas to improve and we are looking forward to having him with us so we can be part of his development as a player.”
Born in Glasgow, Hickey spent the formative years of his career training in the Celtic academy before leaving for Heart of Midlothian, the club with which he would make his professional debut.
Hickey enjoyed a breakout season with Hearts in 2019/20 and was picked up by Bologna for a meagre 1.7 million euros fee a year later. In his 48 appearances for the club, he scored five goals, all of which came last season.
