£1 Million offer for Ivan not quite true

Last updated : 11 November 2005 By Brian Hine
It has been revealed in the press recently that Hibs had an offer of 1 million pounds for Ivan Sproule which the board had accepted, but that Ivan had turned down the move.




Hibs-mad have found out this is not quite true, but there was an enquiry, as happens all the time in the football business in the forms of telephone conversations, fax's, emails etc., but not from Dnipro as has been reported, but from an agent who has an interest in fellow Ukrainian team Shakhtar Donetsk, not that we've any proof that is was Shakhtar this agent had in mind.
The verbal offer of £1 million pounds was said to be in a telephone conversation between Mogga and the agent and didn't get as high as Rod Petrie as the offer was dismissed, as Hibs want Ivan in the team, and as has been said, Hibs Do Not need to sell as we are in a reasonably good financial stading at this moment in time.

It was also stated in the press that Ivan did not want to go and it's been assumed that it's because the laddie just didn't feel it right at the moment to go as far afield from his Family back home in Northern Ireland of whom he has already felt the need to go back home and see in the not to distant past as he was homesick.
My understanding is that although Ivan was told about the interest from the agent he wasn't asked outright if he wanted to go.


Shakhtar BTW are the team that tried to lure Lee Wilkie at the tail end of 2003 prior to Wilkies bad injury.
A move that Wilkie knocked back due to the location of the team interested.

Brian Hine
GGTTH