Aberdeen manager Derek McInnes says his side fended off strong interest to sign Derby County’s Craig Bryson, the Derby Telegraph report.
The Scottish club recently confirmed the signing of Bryson. The midfielder’s contract at Derby was expiring this summer and he has chosen to move back north of the border.
(Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images).
Bryson is said to have turned down the offer of a 12-month contract extension at Pride Park. And now McInnes claims Aberdeen fended off an offer from another Championship club for the 32-year-old’s services.
It has all come about pretty quickly. Although I have been speaking to Craig’s agent since January/February, on and off, he let us know that he was willing to come back to Scotland. He had a stronger offer to stay at Derby. He had a strong offer from elsewhere in the Championship, which indicates the level of player that we are getting.
Craig Bryson leaves Derby County as an iconic Pride Park figure:
Bryson joined the Rams back in 2011 from Kilmarnock. He since went on to feature in more than 250 games for the club, scoring 42 goals in total.
The Scotland international is an extremely popular figure at Pride Park. He won the club’s Player of the Year twice in eight years and cemented a legacy by notching a hat-trick in a 5-0 win over rivals Nottingham Forest.
Graeme Shinnie’s arrival, ironically from Aberdeen, meant Bryson was unlikely to be a first-teamer next season. The time seemed right for the player to depart Derby, and he goes with the club’s best wishes.
(Photo by Andrew Kearns – CameraSport via Getty Images).
Aberdeen have pulled off a coup by grabbing him on a free transfer. At 32, Bryson still has a good couple of years left and his energetic displays will delight those at Pittodrie.