baggy89 Posted July 9, 2009 Report Posted July 9, 2009 MARK McGHEE has told top target Stephen Hughes if he signs for Aberdeen he will guarantee him a free transfer if a big club comes calling. The Dons boss has been trailing his former Motherwell star since he stepped into the Pittodrie hotseat last month. The 26-year-old midfielder has still to decide where his future lies, with a move to Hearts or a return to Fir Park among the options open to him, but McGhee is willing to bend over backwards to get his man. McGhee said: “We are offering to be really flexible in terms of how we contract Stephen. We’d be signing him on a free and we have told him come here and do his bit and then you can move again on a free. “Whether that be in January or at the end of the season, we have left it up to Stephen. He can have whatever deal suits him. We have to be flexible if we want to get top players up here.†Hughes is known to favour a return to England, where he had an indifferent spell at Championship side Leicester. McGhee is in no doubt Hughes can play at that level and for Scotland but still believes he has to raise the bar a bit. That is why he reckons another season in the SPL, at Aberdeen, could help him achieve all his goals. “Stephen Hughes still has to prove he should be playing at a higher level than the SPL,†said McGhee. “He also still has to make his breakthrough into the Scotland squad and to do that he has to be playing at a good level. “I think playing for Aberdeen, at the top end of the SPL, would be enough to do that for Stephen.†McGhee is trying to strengthen his squad and is actively working on deals for Plymouth pair Jim Paterson and Steven MacLean. He also plans to run the rule over a number of trialists before he heads out to Austria for their pre-season training camp tomorrow. The Dons boss added: “I still feel I need a centre-half and a centre-forward.†Dangerous precedent here, I could understand it if he was some sort of superstar. This one has the potential to go down with the toaster in anti-Aberdeen folklore. Quote
BobbyBiscuit Posted July 9, 2009 Report Posted July 9, 2009 “Whether that be in January or at the end of the season If it's January then, what the fuck is the point? We're back to square one in the space of 5 months with no compensation. Utterly ridiculous. The Dons boss added: “I still feel I need a centre-half and a centre-forward.†However it is good to see that he has instantly recognised that our strikers are rather goal-shy. Quote
Kowalski Posted July 9, 2009 Report Posted July 9, 2009 I'm fed up of our manager spouting shite to the press. Anyway, doesn't look like we'll be signing him anyway. Dons hopes of signing Hughes begin to fade away PLAYER OFFERED £7,000 A WEEK BY NORWICH BUT IS HOPING FOR MOVE TO Championship By Paul Third Published: 09/07/2009 Aberdeen’s hopes of luring Stephen Hughes to Pittodrie are diminishing as the player holds out for a move to England. The Motherwell midfielder has stalled on a move to English League One side Norwich City as he waits for offers from the Championship and the money on offer from England far exceeds Dons manager Mark McGhee’s budget at Aberdeen. Former Dons goalkeeper Bryan Gunn, now manager at Norwich, is keen to take the player to Carrow Road as he tries to take the Canaries back to the English Championship following relegation last season. Hughes has been offered £7,000 a week, more than double what he earned at Fir Park, to move to England, but is holding out for a move to the Championship instead. The player’s agent Tom Callaghan said: “Stephen wants a little more time to think it over. “I wouldn't say it is totally dead in the water, but we know there could be interest from Championship clubs. “There is nothing concrete at the moment, but teams are watching the situation closely and obviously there will be movement at other sides with players leaving. “That could open the door, but Stephen won't be rushed." Hearts have also shown an interest in Hughes but have offered half of the wages the Canaries are willing to pay while the Steelmen also hope to convince the former Rangers and Leicester City midfielder to sign a new deal and stay at Fir Park. Dons manager McGhee does not expect any new arrivals to be in place before he and his players head out to Austria for their pre-season training camp tomorrow. The Aberdeen manager is not worried by the lack of transfer movement, insisting his protracted moves to bring Hughes, Jim Paterson and Steven MacLean to the club will allow him to run the rule over his squad this month. He said: “Players such as MacLean, Paterson and Hughes have been mentioned and they are players we have an interest in. “As always, it takes time to come to a conclusion on these things. “We want it done as quickly as possible but it doesn’t always happen. “I want to properly assess what I have here. “There are young players here who I don’t know what they can do and I want to have a look at them first. “I don’t want to rush into making signings we don’t need.†The Dons face competition for Paterson with the player reportedly interested in returning to his former club Motherwell on loan from Plymouth. Quote
amp Posted July 9, 2009 Report Posted July 9, 2009 Move on! He is a decent player, but absoloutely no point in signing a guy who clearly wants to play elsewhere, and would have been moving on from here in no time anyway. Quote
TENEMENTFUNSTER Posted July 9, 2009 Report Posted July 9, 2009 A good player but not one that merits this kind of seemingly daft treatment and anyone who would rather go to Motherwell should no longer be considered purely on that basis alone. Quote
mizer Posted July 9, 2009 Report Posted July 9, 2009 anyone who would rather go to Motherwell should no longer be considered purely on that basis alone. Quote
CtS Posted July 9, 2009 Report Posted July 9, 2009 Yet again we're hurtling towards a new season with a weaker squad than that which ended the previous season. If only we had a manager with contacts and friends at some of the really big clubs. Quote
dave_min Posted July 9, 2009 Report Posted July 9, 2009 Is McGhee for real? The boy doesn't want to come, move on. Quote
BobbyBiscuit Posted July 13, 2009 Report Posted July 13, 2009 Hearts have beaten Aberdeen to the signature of Motherwell's out-of-contract midfielder Stephen Hughes. (Daily Express) Surprise, surprise! Quote
TENEMENTFUNSTER Posted July 13, 2009 Report Posted July 13, 2009 Surprise, surprise! Indeed. Money talks but he is a decent player and I don't necessarily think he improves then with Aguiar away. Though quite why someone would sign for those cunts is beyond me irrespective of the cash on offer. Quote
Tyrant Posted July 13, 2009 Report Posted July 13, 2009 Because the central belt is where it's at! Quote
Nellie The Don Posted July 13, 2009 Report Posted July 13, 2009 Stephen Hughes turned down £7000/week at Norwich. If Hearts top this for a player of his quality, I will piss myself laughing. Quote
Tyrant Posted July 14, 2009 Report Posted July 14, 2009 Stephen Hughes turned down £7000/week at Norwich. If Hearts top this for a player of his quality, I will piss myself laughing. Indeed. I would assume they've at least matched it. There are/were players earning much more at Swinecastle. Quote
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