Why did Aiden McGeady leave Celtic for Spartak Moscow? “Russian clubs don’t mess about”

Why did Aiden McGeady leave Celtic for Spartak Moscow? He tells Peter Martin on Straight Talk (first published in August 2023) that he’d always wanted to try something else: “I’d look back in my career and regret it if I never tried England or tried somewhere else.” Spartak had seen him play against them in the Champions League, and Celtic accepted the bid: “Russian clubs don’t mess about.” What was Spartak Moscow like? Valery Karpin was “quite a volatile character himself”, with run-ins and clashes...