Barnsley were able to hold off interest from a 'top' German club to complete the signing of Jack Aitchison from Celtic, the striker has revealed.

Aitchison joined Barnsley on a three-year deal back in the summer transfer window, and was immediately loaned out to League Two side Stevenage for the rest of this season.

Now it seems as though Barnsley pulled off something of a coup to secure a deal for the 20-year-old, amid some seemingly strong interest in Aitchison from elsewhere.

Speaking on the Glasgow is Green podcast about the interest there was in him during the summer transfer window, Aitchison revealed: “It was one of the top clubs in Germany but I was probably going to go into the same situation I was at Celtic.

"Keep going out on loan, keep going out on loan, and every time I would come back from a loan I wouldn’t probably get my chance in the first-team."

Indeed, it seems as though Barnsley's plan to introduce Aitchison into their senior side in the future is what helped them get this deal over the line, with the striker adding: “That’s why I chose Barnsley, because they had that pathway in mind for me to go out on loan, when I obviously had not played for 10 months, but I can go out on loan and get my fitness up and hopefully crack on from there.”

Since his loan move to Stevenage, Aitchison has scored once in 13 appearances in all competitions for The Boro, who currently sit 21st in the League Two table, six points clear of the relegation zone.

The Verdict

I do think that this is really good to see from Aitchison.

There are many players in his situation who may well have jumped at the chance to move to one of Germany's top clubs, given that would likely have been a more financially lucrative deal than the switch to Oakwell.

However, as Aitchison is clearly aware of, that what probably have made it harder for him to establish himself as a first-team regular at any one club.

As a result, it is good to see that that is what he has prioritised here with a move to Oakwell, and the maturity he appears to have shown in doing that will no doubt serve him well throughout the rest of his career.