February 14, 2025

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Aaron Hickey, Lewis Ferguson, Josh Doig: Why Bologna and different Serie A golf equipment are focused on younger Scottish avid gamers | Soccer Information

Aaron Hickey, Lewis Ferguson, Josh Doig: Why Bologna and different Serie A golf equipment are focused on younger Scottish avid gamers | Soccer Information

When Aaron Hickey discovered the web in a 2-2 draw between Bologna and Genoa final September, he changed into best the fourth Scottish participant to attain a function in Italy’s Serie A. The others? Joe Jordan, Graeme Souness and Denis Regulation. It were some time.

Hickey, a £1.5m signing from Hearts a 12 months previous, went on to attain any other 4 objectives over the process the marketing campaign, breaking into the Scottish nationwide workforce and attracting hobby from a number of suitors prior to his £18m transfer to Brentford.

The total-back’s good fortune in Italy has helped open the door to others.

Former Celtic midfielder Liam Henderson, whose arrival in Italy predated Hickey’s by way of two years, gave the impression in each and every certainly one of Empoli’s Serie A fixtures final season, whilst Aberdeen’s Lewis Ferguson, 22, and Hibernian’s Josh Doig, 20, have this week sealed £3m strikes to Bologna and Hellas Verona respectively.

They don’t seem to be the one ones to were focused. Udinese had a bid for Celtic’s 22-year-old centre-back Stephen Welsh knocked again in January, whilst Bologna made repeated makes an attempt to signal Calvin Ramsay from Aberdeen prior to his £6.5m transfer to Liverpool.

The expectancy in Italy is that extra will apply.

“My first considered Scottish soccer is that the Scottish Premiership is a shockingly, extremely underrated league,” Francesco Strozzi, a scout for Bologna between 2018 and 2021, tells Sky Sports activities over Zoom.

“In my view, it does not have moderately sufficient consideration within the eyes of many scouting departments world wide.

“Scottish soccer is speedy, dynamic and bodily, so for Italian golf equipment who are looking for younger avid gamers who’ve those necessities, I believe this is a excellent league to observe and, presently, no longer to find an excessive amount of festival for avid gamers.”

Strozzi is aware of that from enjoy. He used to be to start with accountable for scouting home recruits elderly between 15 and 18 in his function at Bologna however after the Covid outbreak introduced soccer to a standstill in March 2020, he used to be assigned to far off research of alternative leagues.

“When the primary Covid lockdown took place, like my different colleagues, I used to be obliged to observe video games with scouting video research equipment and I had the danger to observe moderately numerous Scottish video games, each the adolescence nationwide groups and in addition golf equipment,” he says.

Scotland had already turn into a space of center of attention for Bologna’s recruitment division at that time.

“After I arrived at Bologna in 2018, they have been moderately excited by scouting northern leagues, so Denmark, Finland, Sweden and naturally Scotland,” says Strozzi.

“I will say they operated there an extended, very long time in the past.”

Their wisdom of the marketplace helped when it got here to signing Hickey.

“In the back of a transfer like Aaron Hickey’s one in 2020, we as Bologna spend tonnes of hours on the lookout for the correct participant and analysing them, by way of video research and video games in actual existence,” says Strozzi.

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Former Bologna scout Francesco Strozzi explains why Scottish soccer is underrated as Lewis Ferguson and Josh Doig apply Aaron Hickey to Serie A

“That a part of the paintings is constant, however I will say essentially the most tricky a part of the paintings is to spot which participant is most fitted to taking part in within the Italian Serie A.

“While you watch Scottish Premiership video games, you’ll inform there are numerous treasured avid gamers, but if scouting according to Serie A, the concern is they will have to be the correct one for the workforce.”

In Hickey’s case, Bologna felt that they had causes to be assured.

Maximum vital have been his crowd pleasing bodily and technical qualities, however Bologna have been additionally inspired by way of how Andrew Robertson, his countryman and fellow left-back, had flourished since shifting from Dundee United to Hull Town and due to this fact Liverpool.

“Andrew Robertson used to be virtually an unknown participant however seeing his nice construction and his fantastic have an effect on with Liverpool from 2017 made numerous golf equipment suppose that basing scouting process in Scotland might be the correct transfer,” says Strozzi.

Andrew Robertson has become of the world's best left-backs at Liverpool
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Andrew Robertson has turn into of the arena’s very best left-backs at Liverpool

“Hickey, in my view, is a participant with equivalent characteristics to Robertson – a quick, agile participant who could make runs at the left facet of the pitch and assist groups in each the offensive section and the defensive section.

“The ones are his primary traits, and they’re what made Brentford opt for him and take him to the Premier League.”

Robertson’s have an effect on at Liverpool helped to boost hobby ranges within the Scottish marketplace amongst Premier League golf equipment however, for the ones in Italy, it is Hickey who very best demonstrates the price to be had to them.

“The capital acquire in terms of Hickey’s sale used to be large,” says Strozzi.

“While you consider putting in scouting operations in international locations like Scotland, like Sweden, like Finland, you all the time consider the wearing, soccer facet of the operation, but in addition the monetary facet.

“In order that used to be a large, large plus to the operation.”

Hickey’s good fortune has supplied inspiration for his fellow avid gamers too, together with Ferguson and Doig, either one of whom sought his recommendation prior to sealing their very own strikes to Italy this week.

“He appeared to truly experience it and he has truly kicked on and progressed and evolved as a participant and that is the reason one thing I need to cross and do,” mentioned Ferguson of his world team-mate.

Strozzi now expects Ferguson to end up in a similar way a success.

“I believe he’ll be very, essential within the membership’s means of taking part in as a result of Sinisa Mihajlovic is a trainer who can convey out much more of Lewis Ferguson’s qualities,” he says.

“Ferguson makes central runs and he rankings vital objectives from midfield, which is one thing you do not see such a lot right here in Serie A.

“So, at a membership like Bologna, and with the best way of taking part in Mihajlovic desires, you’ll be expecting good stuff from Lewis Ferguson.”

Scottish efficiency technique paying off

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Ross County boss and previous SFA efficiency director Malky Mackay explains why the rustic’s younger avid gamers are changing into increasingly more sexy to golf equipment in Italy and in different places

Hickey, Ferguson and Doig’s strikes to Italy are a purpose for birthday party amongst the ones excited by adolescence construction in Scotland, together with Ross County supervisor Malky Mackay, the Scottish Soccer Affiliation’s former efficiency director.

Mackay places the rising enchantment of Scotland’s younger avid gamers down partially to the rustic’s efficiency college programme, presented in 2012 with the purpose of maximising the opportunity of the rustic’s younger avid gamers and in the end benefitting the nationwide workforce.

“I am overjoyed for the avid gamers themselves, however I am additionally overjoyed for the SFA efficiency college coaches, led by way of Brian McLaughlin,” Mackay informed Sky Sports activities Information this week.

“The volume of labor that is long gone into that division over the previous few years has supposed children are attracting consideration, to start with from England, however now from Europe as neatly, as a result of the quantity of publicity they’re getting.

“It may well best be excellent for the Scottish nationwide workforce.

“Ultimately, that is the place we will be able to see the advantages and we’ve noticed the beginning of that with this younger crew of avid gamers that has been in combination for final two or 3 years beneath Steve Clarke.

“There may be any other crew this is coming in the back of them who’re expectantly going to fill that pool out.”

The long-term function is to make sure Scotland are higher supplied to qualify for primary tournaments, as they did for the primary time since 1998 after they made it to the finals of Euro 2020 final summer season.

Billy Gilmour was named man of the match when Scotland faced England at Euro 2020
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Billy Gilmour used to be named guy of the fit when Scotland confronted England at Euro 2020

In children Billy Gilmour and Nathan Patterson, Scotland’s squad at that match incorporated graduates from two of the seven efficiency colleges dotted across the nation.

Gilmour, now of Chelsea, went to Grange Academy in Kilmarnock, whilst Patterson, who adopted his world team-mate to the Premier League when he moved from Rangers to Everton for £16m in January, attended Hollyrood Secondary in Glasgow.

The opposite colleges are based totally in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Falkirk and Motherwell and all serve to offer further soccer training for secondary-school elderly avid gamers in an academic atmosphere.

Gilmour and Patterson have been the primary graduates of the programme to turn into senior Scotland internationals however the adolescence groups are filled with them, a testomony to the machine’s good fortune. Masses extra will also be discovered up and down the rustic’s footballing pyramid.

“There are not many nations in Europe that do that programme and it is without doubt one of the issues that I am continuously requested about, when it comes to my paintings with UEFA,” added Mackay.

“Our coaches do an exquisite task along the golf equipment and that is the reason the massive factor about it. It is with the golf equipment and it offers younger avid gamers from 12 to 16 double the quantity of touches of another children in Scotland.”

The efficiency colleges programme is a part of a much wider solution to reinforce the technical stage of Scotland’s younger avid gamers and its have an effect on will also be noticed within the rising call for from Italy specifically.

Scotland missed out on a place at the Qatar World Cup but reached their first major tournament since 1998 when they qualified for Euro 2020
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Scotland neglected out on a spot on the Qatar Global Cup however reached their first primary match since 1998 after they certified for Euro 2020

“I’m extremely inspired by way of what the Scottish FA is doing,” says Strozzi. “Staring at numerous video games of the adolescence nationwide workforce made me recognize their paintings regarding the development of soccer training there.

“Their amenities are wonderful and, even with regards to the membership facet, Scottish soccer is gaining an increasing number of significance in Eu soccer – despite the fact that it’s already filled with traditionally vital golf equipment.

“In my view, they’re operating truly, truly laborious to be aggressive and in addition to let their younger potentialities turn into vital belongings for golf equipment even out of doors the United Kingdom.

“I believe the new strikes are going to convey Scottish soccer onto the radar of many extra golf equipment in Italy.

“In the beginning, we best had a small cluster of golf equipment excited by scouting there. Bologna, in fact, but in addition Empoli, Lecce and Hellas Verona. So, smaller, mid-table Serie A groups went there.

“However now I believe that this development goes to extend and perhaps larger, extra vital golf equipment in Serie A are going to position extra of an eye fixed on Scottish soccer to convey some avid gamers to Italy.”

Aaron Hickey
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Aaron Hickey made 48 appearances for Bologna, scoring 5 objectives

The hope, from Scotland’s standpoint, is that, similar to Hickey, the ones avid gamers will have the benefit of the enjoy of taking part in in different leagues and the cash gained in switch charges will assist lift requirements of youngster construction within the nation additional.

Consistent with Mackay, who used to be accountable for overseeing the efficiency colleges programme between 2016 and 2020, that investment part is the most important to its persisted good fortune.

“It is a long-term mission,” he added. “It will have to be noticed as that and it will have to be funded neatly.

“That is the vital factor for me. It has got to be believed in and it has got to be funded neatly over various years as a result of that is whilst you begin to see ability popping out of it and also you begin to see children going to important golf equipment and in the end changing into Scotland avid gamers.”

Aaron Hickey would possibly quickly be simply one of the.

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