Spartak fans against £10m move for 'McGreedski'

AIDEN McGeady was yesterday shown around Spartak Moscow with its Soviet-era training base as the Russian club defied its own fans to woo a player now expected to sign a contract in a near-£10 million deal tomorrow.

But the Celtic winger is facing a backlash with Moscow fans already dubbing him 'McGreedski' for his 40,000 a week pay demand, far in excess of the clubs established stars.

"McGeady is in Moscow; we are showing him everything," said a source. "Contract negotiations are still in a process, but we are very close to getting his signature."

The club imposed a media blackout as the 24-year-old was believed to have seen the spartan training camp with three pitches an hour and a half outside Moscow. He was told he will have the constant attention of an interpreter and driver to ensure he can cope with language problems and find his way around a city that yesterday remained shrouded in smog caused by forest fires. If he comes to Moscow he will have to get used to the cold – but yesterday he had a baptism of heat with temperatures of 39C.

If he signs in Moscow it will be to a club languishing eighth in the table at the halfway point of the season and 19 points behind leaders Zenit St Petersburg. With limits on foreign players in the Russian league, Spartak fans are askance at the club's obsession with McGeady and manager Valery Karpin is facing a backlash over the move.

Supporters leader Ivan Katanaev said: "Who the hell is McGeady? He didn't play anywhere, except for Celtic, so why we are praying he joins our Spartak? He doesn't deserve this honour."

Fellow Spartak fan Kostya Hlebnikov, 24, said: "He should be called 'McGreedski' not McGeady for permanently asking more money from the club. He is interested only in money."