How a round of golf helped Aston Villa beat Celtic to a Championship bargain | OneFootball

Steve Bruce proved decisive in securing the deal for John McGinn for Aston Villa ahead of Celtic

Aston Villa’s relegation to the Championship in 2016 was a tremendous fall from grace for one of the Premier League’s most notable clubs.

The Midlands outfit found themselves competing in the second tier of English football for the first time since 1988, when they spent one year in the Second Division.

Their next most recent campaign at that level was in 1975, so they had been a mainstay of top flight football for almost an entire 40 years.

Roberto di Matteo had been appointed to oversee their first season in the Championship, but he only lasted until October 2016 before being replaced by Steve Bruce.

John McGinn made the difference for Aston Villa

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It was an underwhelming first couple of seasons in the second tier for Villa, who finished 13th in the table in 2016/17.

While they improved to fourth in the subsequent campaign, they failed to gain promotion back to the Premier League despite being expected to return by that point due to their size and stature in the game.

The signing of John McGinn was a crucial piece of business to the club finally securing their return to the top flight in 2019.

The Scotland international arrived from Hibernian, and he contributed six goals and nine assists from 40 appearances in the league, with Villa winning the play-offs.

Steve Bruce’s role in securing John McGinn signing

Bruce was not the man to oversee that play-off success in 2019, with Dean Smith replacing him in October 2018.

However, he played a crucial role in securing the signature of McGinn, which proved a pivotal moment in the modern history of Aston Villa.

Speaking in 2024, the now retired coach revealed how the club beat Celtic to the signing of the midfielder.

He claimed that Villa needed some time to come up with the £2 million required to secure the move, so he brought McGinn’s father for a round of golf.

"I had heard his grandad used to be Celtic chairman,” said Bruce, via Talksport.

“We had to stall.

"We didn't have the £2 million at the time and he was going to Celtic, but I had heard that his dad and grandad played golf.

"I thought 'I am going to try and get his dad down to give us a little bit of stalling time'.

"We got him to The Belfry and got the pro to play him - which gave us another four to five hours to rustle up the £2 million because we didn't have it at the time.

"I am really pleased for him because he has turned into a really, really top player."

John McGinn’s impact at Aston Villa

Nobody could have imagined the impact the signing of McGinn could’ve had on Villa when he first arrived in 2018.

There was no doubt he could help their promotion bid, which he dutifully delivered on, but he has remained a key player to this day under Unai Emery.

The 31-year-old is in his eighth top flight campaign, and he’s contributed a total of 22 goals and 29 assists in that time, helping the club twice qualify for the Champions League.

McGinn was also instrumental in the team’s Europa League success in 2025/26, even providing an assist in their 3-0 win over Freiburg in the final.

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Steve Bruce should be remembered well for John McGinn deal

Bruce was not a popular figure by the time his tenure at Villa Park came to an end, with fans famously throwing cabbage at him from the stands to show their frustration.

However, the signing of McGinn, and his role in getting the deal done, is something that fans should be thankful for.

There is no telling where Villa would be now without the Scot in their ranks, as he has been a stalwart of their rise up the Premier League.

Bruce won’t go down as one of the club’s best ever coaches, but he might just be one of their most influential in the modern era.