Aiden McGeady gave up the chance to be a part of Irish footballing history to ensure his move to Deepdale came about before the transfer deadline.
The Republic of Ireland international was due to be a part of Robbie Keane’s final game for his country, with the 30-year-old looking to add to his 85 caps, but gave up the chance to ensure his move to Deepdale went through.
Staying behind at the team hotel in Dublin to complete the paperwork, the former Celtic man was pleased that everything could be confirmed for his transfer to Deepdale for the 2016/17 season.
“I am delighted to sign,” he told PNE.Com. “It came about pretty quickly. It was only yesterday that I heard it might be a possibility and then by this morning I had heard that it wasn’t happening and was off the table and then about three or four hours ago I heard that it was back on again, so I was quite excited to get it sorted and I am now looking forward to getting back playing and helping the team.
“I didn’t want the risk of it not happening by going to the game. It is obviously Robbie Keane’s last game, but there is paperwork that has to get signed and I thought I might have to do a medical today, so I was anxious about what might happen, but the manager was fine with me, he understood the situation, so I stayed behind when the team left and got all the paperwork through and sorted it out myself – I could probably be my own agent!
“I didn’t want anything to get in the way of it. I wanted to get it all sorted as soon as and now it is done and I am really happy and I am just looking forward to when the international break finishes and getting down, meeting the lads and starting to get playing.”
Even hours before the window closed the former Spartak Moscow man thought he might have been going abroad and not up the M58 and M6: “As the window comes to a close strange things start to happen,” he continued. “I was pretty keen on getting something sorted. I was out of the picture at Everton, the manager made that clear to me after my first couple of days back that I wouldn’t be involved, so I had to get something sorted.
“Yesterday and today a couple of things popped up abroad that I wasn’t against, and up until this came up I was probably going abroad again, because I have done that before, but this is the perfect fit for me.”
And it will be a strange move as he won’t meet up with his new team-mates for a week; although when he finally does, there will be a few familiar faces for him.
“We’ve got a World Cup qualifier on Monday with Serbia and then I will be back in, preparing for the game on the Saturday. It is a bit of a strange one, but these transfer windows and deadline days are like that now; especially with no emergency loans, where everyone is trying to get themselves sorted.
“There were other boys in the same boat trying to get things sorted and it’s all a bit of a rush, and with no loans you are stuck where you are, which can be a nightmare scenario for some players.
“I remember Greg [Cunningham] from when he was first called up to the squad, he was only 18 or 19 from Manchester City at the time. He was quite a lively lad and I know Alan Kelly as well from his time as goalkeeping coach with Ireland and that will help with the settling in at a new club,” added the new No.14.
Staying behind at the team hotel in Dublin to complete the paperwork, the former Celtic man was pleased that everything could be confirmed for his transfer to Deepdale for the 2016/17 season.
“I am delighted to sign,” he told PNE.Com. “It came about pretty quickly. It was only yesterday that I heard it might be a possibility and then by this morning I had heard that it wasn’t happening and was off the table and then about three or four hours ago I heard that it was back on again, so I was quite excited to get it sorted and I am now looking forward to getting back playing and helping the team.
“I didn’t want the risk of it not happening by going to the game. It is obviously Robbie Keane’s last game, but there is paperwork that has to get signed and I thought I might have to do a medical today, so I was anxious about what might happen, but the manager was fine with me, he understood the situation, so I stayed behind when the team left and got all the paperwork through and sorted it out myself – I could probably be my own agent!
“I didn’t want anything to get in the way of it. I wanted to get it all sorted as soon as and now it is done and I am really happy and I am just looking forward to when the international break finishes and getting down, meeting the lads and starting to get playing.”
Even hours before the window closed the former Spartak Moscow man thought he might have been going abroad and not up the M58 and M6: “As the window comes to a close strange things start to happen,” he continued. “I was pretty keen on getting something sorted. I was out of the picture at Everton, the manager made that clear to me after my first couple of days back that I wouldn’t be involved, so I had to get something sorted.
“Yesterday and today a couple of things popped up abroad that I wasn’t against, and up until this came up I was probably going abroad again, because I have done that before, but this is the perfect fit for me.”
And it will be a strange move as he won’t meet up with his new team-mates for a week; although when he finally does, there will be a few familiar faces for him.
“We’ve got a World Cup qualifier on Monday with Serbia and then I will be back in, preparing for the game on the Saturday. It is a bit of a strange one, but these transfer windows and deadline days are like that now; especially with no emergency loans, where everyone is trying to get themselves sorted.
“There were other boys in the same boat trying to get things sorted and it’s all a bit of a rush, and with no loans you are stuck where you are, which can be a nightmare scenario for some players.
“I remember Greg [Cunningham] from when he was first called up to the squad, he was only 18 or 19 from Manchester City at the time. He was quite a lively lad and I know Alan Kelly as well from his time as goalkeeping coach with Ireland and that will help with the settling in at a new club,” added the new No.14.