At Bolgona, Aaron Hickey’s become the lethal LB of Arsenal’s dreams

Bologna is home to one of the oldest universities in the world and it has proved an educational city for Aaron Hickey.

Few Scottish footballers have experienced sojourns in Italy, but the Glasweigan youngster clearly felt some wanderlust.

And his move abroad has proved successful. Hickey has impressed in Serie A, establishing himself as Bologna’s first-choice left-back and attracting attention from some of Europe’s top clubs.

Had he stayed in Scotland, at Hearts, his reputation may not have increased so rapidly.

This was, though, still a brave decision from Hickey. When Bologna came calling in the summer of 2020, the pandemic was still at its peak, and leaving home for a new country as a teenager was a daunting prospect.

But he settled in quickly, proving himself on the pitch. “It’s been really good here,” he said in a recent interview with Sky Sports.

“Who knows, I might want to have a new challenge, but I probably wouldn’t mind coming here every day to be honest.”

A new challenge could well be on the horizon for Hickey, who has been heavily linked of late with a move to Arsenal.

Arsenal are, according to the latest rumours, leading the race to secure the 19-year-old’s signature, reaching an agreement with Bologna over a fee.

Inevitably, comparisons have been made with Kieran Tierney, who has excelled at Arsenal since making the switch from Celtic in 2019.

Hickey’s path to the Emirates would be different, although Tierney, and indeed Andy Robertson at Liverpool, are obvious aspirational figures for a young Scottish left-back.

He would, initially, be Tierney’s understudy at Arsenal, but a move there would be a significant step forward for a player not yet out of his teenage years.

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READ: Seven times Kieran Tierney