After a false start, Hayes finally joins Aberdeen

Published on 27/06/2012 01:37

Aberdeen have finally completed the signing of Jonny Hayes from SPL rivals Inverness, the talented winger sealing a two-year deal after rejecting a new contract with Caley Thistle.

The Dons had announced on their website at the end of last month that Hayes had agreed to move to Pittodrie – only for the 24-year-old, on holiday at the time, to state via his Twitter account that he had not made any decision on his future.

But this time, Aberdeen’s online announcement also came with the obligatory picture of Hayes sitting at a desk with pen in hand, completing the necessary paperwork.

His capture represents a real coup for Dons manager Craig Brown, with other clubs, including Hearts, reported to have been interested in signing the former Republic of Ireland under-21 international.

Hayes, who joined Inverness from Leicester in 2009, scored nine goals last season despite missing two months with a shoulder injury. He will provide much-needed width and flair to a side that scored just 36 goals in 38 SPL games last term, the lowest in the division.

“I weighed up all my options but I came down and met with Craig Brown recently and we had a good chat,” the Irishman told RedTV last night.

“From a football point of view he sold it to me there and then. Since then, we have just had a few loose ends to tie up but, ever since meeting the manager, this is the place I wanted to come.

“Everyone I speak to talks about the potential of Aberdeen. I know the manager wants to get the club back to where they were before and I want to be part of that. Hopefully next season we can push on and move in the right direction and get the club back where they should be.”

Aberdeen have been crying out for flair players since Sone Aluko and Chris Maguire left the club at the end of the 2010/2011 season and Hayes is looking forward to the challenge that awaits him at Pittodrie.

“The manager said he was looking for a creative player and hopefully coming here is the right move for me,” he added. “Hopefully, I can live up to the expectations. I have not really had expectation on me before in my career. It is actually nice to feel welcome. I have had a lot of messages of support from the fans and it has been overwhelming to be honest.

“I just can’t wait for the season to start. Not necessarily the four weeks of pre-season before that. But the first game of the season.”