Aaron Hickey: Brentford's new signing assessed after making Premier League move
Having gone from strength to strength since taking the giant leap to leave Scotland for Italy back in 2020, Aaron Hickey's now made the next step in his career by joining Brentford and the bright lights of the Premier League.
Adapting brilliantly to life with Bologna and the rigours of Serie A following an expected initial period of adjustment, his emergence as one of the most promising wide defenders in Europe has been a joy to watch.
Relishing working under the tutelage of legendary figure Sinisa Mihajlovic to develop his craft and gaining vital experience with every passing week, the 20-year-old deserves credit for knuckling down and making the most of his opportunities.
"The manager used to be a left back. Every day he teaches me something. It’s mostly defensive stuff, like your body shape when you’re defending. All the simple things but in great detail. It’s really good," he explained to The Athletic.
Establishing himself as an integral component of Mihajlovic's framework, the versatile Scotsman, who can play on either flank and as a wing back or a full back, made an impressive 36 appearances in all competitions last term.
Stamping his impact on both sides of the ball, the gifted stopper undertakes his responsibilities with conviction, confidence and quality.
A major threat going forward, Hickey never misses an opportunity to maraud upfield to join in attacks, where he can then receive possession with momentum in ideal forward facing body postures.
Providing crucial width and depth to stretch opposition backlines, this allows him to be a terrific outlet for switches of play, to isolate himself against his marker 1v1 and draw opponents out of their shape to generate openings for teammates.
If the ball is on the opposite flank, the youngster offers himself as a quality option for crosses and cutbacks into the box due to his dangerous blindside runs, which allow him to gain a dynamic advantage over awkwardly oriented, ball facing defenders.
In addition, how he forms overloads and interchanges smartly to venture infield to embark on nifty underlapping runs adds some variety and poses questions to backlines on who should mark him, with this indecision usually enough for him to get free.
Comfortable and secure on the ball, the man with a neat first touch and ball control is handy with the ball at his feet as well. Enjoying surging ahead into vacant spaces to gain territory, luring out opponents and gaining entry into the final third, his incisive dribbles should be a nice asset for the Bees.
Capable of outfoxing foes with nifty feints, cuts infield, twists and turns away from danger and using changes in direction and pace, the talented defender has some good tools to get by enemies or gain separation to execute his actions.
Hickey's crossing and passing then duly enhance his worth, for he processes situations thoroughly before typically opting for sound options.
Showing good judgement, it's important to note he shows the maturity to play it safe by recirculating possession calmly, moving the ball crisply into the feet of attackers or midfielders or going back to the keeper if no viable progressive options are available.
When it comes to injecting some spark into attacks, his smart through balls in behind or down the channels, line breaking passes to feet and measured crossing ensure he's a handy threat in beating the press and in the final third.
Being a full back/wing back, and regularly in wide areas, crosses and cutbacks are the most common for him to conjure openings for teammates.
Typically taking stock of situations coherently, he does a good job of tailoring his deliveries to oblige runners.
Wrapping his foot around the ball nicely, the technically proficient Scot gets nice whip and dip on his crosses, plus can strike some incisive cutbacks to targets that have peeled off as the defence collapses deeper.
His eye for goal enhances his menace going forward, with his ability to get into promising areas, confidence to shoot on both feet and finishing skills serving him well.
Bagging an impressive five Serie A goals last term, his aptitude in this regard was on show for all to see, with his penchant for long range efforts and composure holding him in good stead especially.
Meanwhile, on the defensive end, Hickey handles his business admirably by performing his duties effectively.
Reacting to danger smartly and aware of his surroundings, this sees him know when to step out to apply pressure, track runners in behind, cover for a nearby colleague, jet back into the box to help his backline or adjust his positioning to stay in shape.
Regularly forced into pressing high up the pitch onto fullbacks and wingbacks, he's proven he's competent defending in advanced areas, as he responds quickly to triggers, like an opponent receiving with their back to goal or in an open body stance, and is robust in his harrying.
Keen to get touchtight to impede his man so they can't get separation easily, it's also notable how he keeps on his toes and optimally orients his body, in order to powerfully track runners in all directions.
Attentive to when runners get on their bike and reading the play soundly, this ensures he handles runs in behind and into the box smoothly for the most part.
Being so two footed and swift in his response times, Hickey copes well in 1v1s, with his agility to go in all directions, anticipation of opponents' intentions and athleticism making him a tough man to bypass.
Well rounded, boasting plenty of high level experience despite his tender years and with so much scope for improvement, such as refining his crossing and working on his heading game, Brentford's signing of Hickey is littered with upside.
Having previously tried to snap him up in January, their desire to get the gifted Scotsman is further illustrated by the fact the £14 million the Bees paid for him made him their record signing
Upon comparing him to Brentford’s first choice left back, Rico Henry, Hickey stacks up well. With both men logging over 3000 minutes last term, this provides a good base to compare them.
Although they're relatively even defensively, with Henry just shading Hickey, the Scot's offensive output is certainly more impressive, with him holding the ascendancy in terms of scoring threat and dribbling.
"I am very pleased that we have managed to sign Aaron. What he has already achieved in his career is very impressive. He is only 20 and has played a full season in Scotland as well as almost two seasons in Serie A," Brentford manager Thomas Frank explained.
“We think that Aaron is a player with great potential, who already has an impressive number of games at a good level under his belt. We believe that we have proven we are a good club for players to maximise their potential. We think we can help him be even better.
“Aaron is a rare thing in modern football in that he is equally good with both feet. He is technically very sound and is good when he has the ball in tight areas. He is an attacking full back that has good creativity, he is a great crosser of the ball, and scored goals in Serie A last year.
"Having played two years in Italy, we know he will have good defensive traits. There are areas to improve and we are looking forward to having him with us so we can be part of his development as a player.”
Set to continue his steep upward trajectory with Brentford and ready for the challenge ahead posed by playing in the Premier League, all the signs are there that Hickey will be a huge hit once given time to settle and adjust to life at his new home.
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