Source: Team_Talk
Gemmell: McGeady must prove his worth
Tommy Gemmell believes Aiden McGeady still has to prove to the Premier League that he is worth the sort of fee Spartak Moscow will pay for him.[LNB] The Celtic midfielder is reportedly in Frankfurt for a medical before he completes his lucrative £9.5million move to the Russian club.[LNB]However, the common belief is that McGeady, 24, would have preferred a move to the English Premier League and the Republic of Ireland star was linked with his former Parkhead boss Martin O'Neill before he quit Aston Villa on Monday.[LNB]But Lisbon Lion Gemmell, at Parkhead to publicise the club's free online archive of Celtic action and history which is now available via their website, insists the former Bhoys youth player has to show he can make the step up from Scottish football.[LNB]"Peter Lawwell (Celtic chief executive) has done a great job getting almost £10million from Spartak," Gemmell said.[LNB]"I get the impression Aiden was holding off to see if he could get a club in England.[LNB]"But with the size of the transfer fee, I don't think there would be a team in England who would be interested in paying that for Aiden McGeady.[LNB]"The way I look at it is he (O'Neill) wanted to sign Aiden McGeady and I don't think Villa wanted to go above the £5million limit.[LNB]"Aiden has got to go to Moscow and prove himself.[LNB]"If you don't do the business, there is nobody interested in you.[LNB]"He is still improving. He has a lot of things to prove to the football world and a lot of improvement to make in his own game.[LNB]"He has to gel with the players around him, which sometimes didn't happen at Celtic."[LNB]Gemmell, who played in two European Cup finals for the Hoops, joked that the massive wages McGeady is set to enjoy - reportedly £40,000 per week - would help him overcome any difficulties in Moscow.[LNB]He said: "It's a tremendous deal for Aiden but it will be difficult for him to fit in to the Russian environment.[LNB]"But I'm quite sure with the small basic wage he'll be getting, he will manage it okay."[LNB]Meanwhile, Gary Hooper is looking forward to his first taste of Scottish opposition in a Celtic shirt when Neil Lennon's side travel to Inverness on Saturday for their Clydesdale Bank Premier League opener.[LNB]The former Scunthorpe striker has already scored two goals for the Hoops - against Lyon in the Emirates Cup and Sporting Braga in the Champions League qualifier - but is now aiming to get his domestic tally up and running.[LNB]"I've not played against Scottish opposition yet so I still have to get used to the league and the players," he told Celtic's official website.[LNB]"But the matches against Lyon and Arsenal have prepared me well.[LNB]"It should be a good game and we're determined to win it.[LNB]"I don't know much about Caley Thistle, I haven't seen the stadium yet but I will be ready to help win the three points if I get picked on Saturday."
