Lennon resigned to McGeady departure

CELTIC manager Neil Lennon yesterday admitted he has resigned himself to Aiden McGeady leaving the club and cannot now see him heading anywhere but Spartak Moscow.

Lennon spoke to the midfielder since his visit to Moscow and believes the trip has sold McGeady on the £9.5 million (€11.5m) move.

Celtic lost their final pre-season game 2-1 at home to Blackburn without McGeady being involved and Lennon, who claims he will receive “all the money” from any sale, believes the transfer could be sealed within 24 hours.

He said: “He was in yesterday and more or less said his goodbyes really so we’ll see how that develops over the next one or two days. I would probably think it will be Moscow.

“He’s going to go to Moscow in the next few days and get the deal finalised and that will be a relief in terms of putting the deal to bed because the sooner it’s done the better. I’ll get all the money.

“I won’t be relieved at Aiden going because I’ll be losing my best player and nobody wants to do that, but we feel it’s good money for a top player.

“Having spoken to him yesterday he seemed a lot more settled. He said he liked what he saw. I’d like to think the way he was talking, this is the club he will go to unless something happens last minute.”

It is understood McGeady would prefer to move to the Premier League and he has been linked with Aston Villa, managed by his former Celtic boss Martin O’Neill, but Lennon doubts there will be a twist in the tale. He added: “From what I gather it should get done over the next couple of days.

“It’s not England, but you can’t always get what you want in football. He’s going to a big club with a decent pedigree and it might develop him further. All we can do is wish him the best.”

Meanwhile McGeady’s international team-mate Robbie Keane, who knows something about going abroad at a young age, spoke positively about the winger’s imminent move to Moscow.

“I don’t think it’ll do him any harm if he goes there for a couple of years and plays in the Champions League. It’s not as if he’s going to a bad team, they’re a good team and a massive club. Obviously, the lifestyle will be completely different to what he’s used to but I don’t see any reason why it won’t be good for him. He’s got some balls, I’ll give him that, to go over there. I think you have to respect him for it.”

Meanwhile Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho has ruled out a move for Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard, and Chelsea defenders Ashley Cole and Ricardo Carvalho.

“He is part of the history of Liverpool, he belongs to the club – he is too important to them,” Mourinho said of Gerrard. “The same thing happened when I tried to take Frank Lampard to Inter Milan. The problem exists when a club buys a player that is 30 and that cannot be sold later on.”

“Ricardo is also a good player, but he is at an age that, if somebody is looking to build a team for the future, he cannot think of him,” he said.

Mourinho admitted he did want to sign Cole, but says Chelsea manager Carlo Ancelotti vetoed that move. “Carlo Ancelotti was very clear. (He said) there is no money that will sign Ashley Cole, he needs to stay,” he said.