Paul Heckingbottom has admitted that money was a big factor for Conor Hourihane, who joined Aston Villa in January, as reported by the Sheffield Star.
Villa are set to meet Barnsley tonight at Villa Park, in what is the first meeting between the two sides since Steve Bruce completed deals for Hourihane and James Bree.
If I had been a player in a similar situation then I’d have probably have done the same thing. Money is a huge part of it because the figures he could earn in this league compared to what we were paying was outrageous.
The former Plymouth Argyle midfielder will reportedly earn £28,000 per week at Villa Park, a huge sum of money given the stature of the division.
Hourihane had impressed during the first half of the season for Barnsley and was influential in their rise up the Championship table.
Barnsley now sit 10th in England’s second division, only six points outside of the play-off spots in their first season back in the Championship.
Heckingbottom admits the club did not want to risk losing the player for nothing in the summer, with the midfielder’s contract coming to an end.
We were in a position where the club thought we were safe this season and it was a case that we would be losing players in the summer for free. If the club were happy with the money then he was going to go because Conor saw it as a massive opportunity. We saw it as a chance to get some money in and then reinvest and build for the long term.
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